Disney’s Oliver! remake (starring Ice Cube) is still happening…
And now it has a writer.
According to Deadline, the upcoming Oliver! remake has landed on Danny Strong to write the script for Tony-winning director, Thomas Kail.
“Game Change and The Butler screenwriter Danny Strong has been tapped to script a Disney remake of the beloved musical Oliver! which has Thomas Kail, a Tony winner for Hamilton, directing.”
That’s right – Disney is making an Oliver! starring Ice Cube.
(It is a real thing, and it’s apparently still happening)
The upcoming Oliver! film will remake the 1968 musical which in turn, adapted Charles Dickens’ 19th century classic, Oliver Twist. And the remake has already pulled in a weirdly varied cast and crew.
Tony Award winning Broadway director Thomas Kail is on board to direct, while rather amazingly, Ice Cube is already set to play Fagin – the villainous leader of a gang of young pickpockets. The thought of him singing about picking a pocket or two is just astounding.
But who is writer, Danny Strong?
A former Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor (yes, really), he also wrote The Butler as well as the screenplay for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2.
I can’t help thinking that literally everything about this movie so far is utterly crazy. Ice Cube as Fagin, with a script penned by a former Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor? It just gets better and better. I have to admit, I can’t wait to see how this all turns out…
Mostly because it sounds absolutely bonkers.
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
