Deadline reports that a remake of Pete’s Dragon is in development from Walt Disney Pictures. The original film debuted in 1977 as primarily a live-action movie, save for its namesake: a little boy’s large, “pet” dragon, Elliot. It is unknown at this time whether Elliot will stick to his hand-drawn roots or be CGI, though the latter is more likely.
While the original film was a musical, the remake will not be. The flick will be written by David Lowery (who recently directed and wrote the drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) and his writing partner, Toby Halbrooks. It will be produced by Jim Whitaker (whose range of credits include Friday Night Lights and the animated Curious George).
Pete’s Dragon joins a list of other re-imaginings of some of Disney’s most cherished live-action classics. The most recent was 2009’s Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson, and perhaps the most widely known is Lindsay Lohan’s 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. Most include fond tributes and nods to their origins… it sure would be neat to see a Mickey Rooney cameo, now wouldn’t it?
