Well, it’s easy to admit we saw this one coming. After having trouble finding a project to follow-up One Hour Photo, director Mark Romanek finally settled on the drama Never Let Me Go, but that wasn’t without a struggle. A short time prior to that film, he began work on a redo of The Wolfman, only to exit the project since his dark vision didn’t line up with what the producers wanted. We all know how that one turned out, but now it’s happened again — this time over at Disney.
According to Deadline, the studio and the director are splitting on the planned Cinderella update, one that already had Cate Blanchett set to star, and a trio of talented actresses circling in the lead role. The reason? Romanek has a take much too dark for the studio’s intended fairy tale ending. One would think this problem would up earlier in pre-production, but it seems like things reached a breaking point, resulting in his departure.
All is not lost, as the film is moving ahead full steam with another directors being sought after to begin a summer production. In an officially statement, Disney say, “We are committed to moving the project forward and have begun the search for a new director. The team here at Disney respects Mark as both a director and a friend, and we hope to find something to work on together in the future.” As for Romanek, he was circling Dan Brown‘s The Lost Symbol gig, among other projects, so hopefully he finds a new one soon, as we’d love to see the talented director find a project he can finally click with.
Are you disappointed at the news? Who do you think should replace Romanek?