It looks like Disney will indeed give us another movie poking fun at itself all the while celebrating its animated films à la the sly parody of The Princess Bride. Things are finally moving forward on the sequel to 2007″s Enchanted.
Adam Shankman is in negotiations to direct the sequel, called Disenchanted, and Amy Adams is expected to return, The Hollywood Reporter posted today. Disney hopes to start production in summer 2017.
I”m disappointed to see Anne Fletcher and her comedy chops apparently off the project (Fletcher, who helmed Ryan Reynolds/Sandra Bullock rom-com The Proposal, was previously attached to direct the Enchanted sequel when it was in development back in 2010). But if Shankman delivers a movie that”s as fun and packed with dazzling musical numbers as his Hairspray, then we should be in for a solid sequel. His other credits include the Rock of Ages movie, A Walk to Remember, and The Wedding Planner. Kevin Lima (Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians) directed Enchanted.
THR also had some scoop about the story of Disenchanted that also gives us reason to look forward to seeing both live-action and animated sequences in the movie:
“Sources say Disenchanted is set 10 years after the first movie, with Giselle finding herself questioning her happily ever after and accidentally triggering events that make everyone's lives turn upside down in both the real world and in the animated kingdom of Andalasia.”
No word yet on whether legendary Disney composer Alan Menken will return to write songs for the sequel, though I certainly hope he makes time for Disenchanted in between returning to other Disney classics for reinterpretations. He”s working on the music for the live-action Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, the latter with Lin-Manuel Miranda.