Since we watched Cinderella, some of us have been waiting for our own Prince Charming (or Princess Charming) to come into our lives. Now, Disney is giving us just that with a live-action Prince Charming movie.
I have just one question: Is there enough material behind the bachelor-turned-husband to make a full-length movie? Also, what’s his name?
Sure, the 2015 live-action visual masterpiece Cinderella gave us an idea at what we could expect from the upcoming movie, giving Charming the name Kit and a tragic father-and-son story that is sure to leave you teary-eyed.
There have also been other reimagining of Prince Charming in various media, like Into the Woods, but I can’t help but wonder if Disney has tapped the IP machine.
What Will the Prince Charming Movie Be About?
Prince Charming, duh!
According to Deadline, the movie will not be linked to the fateful night that changed Cinderella’s life. But the movie is still in the early stages of development, so everything is still very hush, hush.
But so far, helming the project is Wonka and Paddington director Paul King, who will be co-writing the Prince Charming screenplay with Simon Barnaby and Jon Croker. Chris Hemsworth is reportedly in talks to take the leading role.
So far, it has not been announced if the film will be live-action or animated. If bets were to be placed, there is a good chance that Disney would like to see a live-action film over an animated feature.
Do We Need This Movie?
The studio has been facing challenges these last few years, with big-budget projects not performing as well as they hoped.
According to The Numbers data, 2023 was a rough year for Disney. Wish barely brought in enough at the box office to cover the production budget, to say nothing of the marketing spend. And Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny didn’t even cover its production budget, falling nearly $20 million short.
According to Variety, “cinema owners still get to keep about 50% of box office ticket sales. So the rule of thumb is that studios need movies to gross 2.5 times their production budgets to climb out of the red.”
By those measures, Wish and Indiana Jones actually brought Disney hundreds of millions in losses.
With Moana 2 hitting theaters later this year, the media giant might be showing a bigger interest in live-action films with notable actors playing small—but still equally legendary—characters associated with the princess.
If Disney listened closer to the modern movie audiences, a live-action version of Cinderella 3 would have been the move.
Many Millennial and Gen Z fans have recently praised the film for its bold swing and feature the “evil step-sister” in a more positive light.
While it was once critically panned, pulling from a known piece of media might have been stronger than basing an entire movie on a character with no real name.
Maybe they’ll name Charming something more modern like Jack…or stick with Kit.
Either way, they will have to give him a name that the internet will dismiss.
This article is for informational purposes only, and the views expressed are those of the author, with no affiliation to the brands or individuals mentioned.
