Dan Trachtenberg, the director behind Prey and Predator: Badlands, is taking on a fairy tale at Disney. Deadline reports that Trachtenberg is coming on to direct an original film inspired by Sleeping Beauty, the classic Disney tale of a princess cursed into an enchanted sleep that the studio first brought to the screen as an animated feature in 1959.
The untitled project is in early development. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Deadline says the film will take the story in an entirely new direction shaped by Trachtenberg’s distinct sensibility.
An Original Take On Sleeping Beauty
Insiders told Deadline that this version has no connection to the Maleficent films starring Angelina Jolie, which centered on the story’s villain.
Trachtenberg came up with the new story alongside Rayna McClendon. Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf are writing the script. The pair are the co-creators of the Comedy Central series Big Time In Hollywood, FL.
Who Is Producing The Film
Trachtenberg will produce with his longtime producing partner Ben Rosenblatt. Michelle Rejwan, a producer on Star Wars, is also producing.
The project sits with Disney Live Action, the division behind this summer’s live-action Moana. Executive Vice President of Production Jessica Virtue is overseeing the Sleeping Beauty film with Creative Executive Alina Mota, and both report to Disney Live Action president Daria Cercek.
Trachtenberg’s Track Record With Disney
Trachtenberg’s ties to Disney run through the Predator franchise at 20th Century Studios. He relaunched the series in 2022 with Prey, which became a success on Hulu, earned critical praise and picked up an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
He followed it last year with Predator: Badlands and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers for Hulu, which Deadline notes holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. According to Deadline, Trachtenberg’s three Predator films are the highest rated entries in the franchise on the review site.
What Else Trachtenberg Has In The Works
The Sleeping Beauty film is not Trachtenberg’s only project. Deadline reports that he is currently in pre-production on a top-secret feature at Paramount.
He is also directing an untitled animated adaptation of Yehudi Mercado’s comic Freddy the 13th for Paramount Animation, which has set the family horror comedy for Friday, October 13, 2028. Mercado is co-directing the film, which follows a family vacation that turns into a nightmare when Uncle Freddy accidentally kills the Boogeyman and takes on his powers. Trachtenberg signed a three-year first-look producing and directing deal with Paramount Pictures earlier this year.
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