Linda Woolverton might not be a household name, but her movies are. She wrote Beauty and the Beast (the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars), Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland (she’s the only female screenwriter to receive sole writing credit on a billion-dollar-grossing movie), and co-wrote Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and The Lion King. Woolverton spoke to The Hollywood Reporter‘s It Happened in Hollywood podcast about Jon Favreau’s “photorealistic” (there’s an ongoing debate on just how live-action it is) remake, and how she’s not “thrilled” about it.
“I wasn’t totally thrilled with the Beauty and the Beast remake because I didn’t think it was exactly true to the mythology of the storytelling,” she said. “And I’m not happy that I don’t get to participate. Who would be?” When asked about how she feels about the new Lion King, Woolverton, who has no involvement with the film, responded, “I don’t know how The Lion King is going to be.”
Because Beast and Lion King were completely animated, they didn’t qualify Woolverton for membership in the Writers Guild of America — something she didn’t achieve until writing 1993’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. As a result, she sees no residuals from either property, nor is she granted a say in how they are re-imagined for a new generation. (Via)
The Lion King — the teaser trailer for which drew over 225 million views in its first 24 hours of release — opens on July 19, 2019.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
