Beauty and the BeastandFrozenstar Josh Gad has now offered a succinct-yet-promising update on the live action remake ofDisney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. Gad recently responded to a question from a fan on social media, who asked what is going on with the remake, and whether it had been postponed or cancelled as so many projects have been amid the ongoing global situation. Thankfully, that does not appear to be the case.
“Getting. Closer. And. Closer.”
While vague, Gad’s response at least suggests things are moving in the right direction withThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.Josh Gadis slowly becoming synonymous with Disney thanks to several past and upcoming roles in various projects, with the actor and singer already on board to produce a remake of 1996 animated movie, as well as potentially star as the titular hunchback, Quasimodo.
Based on the 1831 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo,Disney’s animated take was released back in 1996, and is still considered to be one of the studio’s darker tales. If it’s been a while since you last watchedThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, this description should bring back some disturbing, perhaps even repressed memories.
“In 15th century Paris, Clopin the puppeteer tells thestory of Quasimodo, the misshapen but gentle-souled bell ringer of Notre Dame, who was nearly killed as a baby by Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice. But Frollo was forced by the Archdeacon of Notre Dame to raise Quasimodo as his own. Now a young man, Quasimodo is hidden from the world by Frollo in the belltower of the cathedral. But during the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo, cheered on by his gargoyle friends Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, decides to take part in the festivities, where he meets the lovely gypsy girl Esmeralda and the handsome soldier Phoebus. The three of them find themselves ranged against Frollo’s cruelty and his attempts to destroy the home of the gypsies, the Court of Miracles. And Quasimodo must desperately defend both Esmeralda and the very cathedral of Notre Dame.”
A live action remake ofThe Hunchback of Notre Damewas first announced around two years ago, with the project expected to be take inspiration from the animated adventure, while adhering closer to Hugo’s novel. The movie has tapped Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang to write the remake, with the legendary Alan Menken on board to produce the music alongside Stephen Schwartz. No casting announcements have yet been made, but many suspect that Gad will be donned in prosthetics to play thedeformed bellringerof Notre Dame. Gad will produce alongside David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman.
Gad clearly loves working with Disney and has several projects in the pipeline, including theHoney, I Shrunk the Kidssequel,Shrunk, alongside Rick Moranis. Gad is also due to reprise the role of LeFou in theBeauty and the Beastprequel series centered around main antagonist Gaston. The series will be comprised of six episodes of live-action musical entertainment, withBeauty and the Beaststar Luke Evans set to reprise the role of Gaston alongside Gad. This comes to us courtesy ofJosh Gad’s official Twitter account.
