The Academy Award and Grammy winning Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has been tapped to direct the live-action/hybrid adaptation of the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic, The Aristocats, according to Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Oscar winning Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is reportedly taking the helm of a live-action/hybrid adaptation of the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic, The Aristocats.
- A founding member of iconic Philadelphia hip hop band The Roots, Grammy-winning Thompson jumped into directing with his documentary Summer of Soul, about the 1969 Harlem Cultural festival. The pic premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, taking home the Grand Jury Prize and beginning its run of accolades that would culminate at the 2022 Oscars where he took home the Oscar for best documentary.
- The Aristocats, which prominently features a jazz filled soundtrack, originally debuted in 1970, following a family of Parisian felines, who are set to inherit a fortune from their owner. When the owner’s jealous butler kidnaps them and leaves them in the country, they must team up with a smooth-talking tomcat to try to make it back home before it’s too late.
- Thompson will reportedly not only direct, but also executive produce and oversee the music for the adaptation, which currently has a script penned by Will Gluck and Keith Bunin.
- This live-action/hybrid adaptation is only the latest in a lengthy series of live-action adaptations of films in the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalog, including the upcoming The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, and the recently revealed Lilo & Stitch adaptation that is in the works.
- Thompson was also recently in attendance at the 2023 Disney Dreamers Academy at the Walt Disney World Resort, and you can check out our interview below.
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