A live-action take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame is in development from the point of view of the story’s heroine, Esméralda.
The film, also set to be called Esmeralda, will reimagine the Victor Hugo novel, previously turned into a 1996 Disney animation and centre it around the street-dancing female character who shows sympathy towards hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo.
According to the Tracking Board, it’s being developed by producer Peter Chernin, whose varied credits include The Heat, Oblivion, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Exodus: Gods and Kings.
It’s rumoured to be a family friendly retread, following in the footsteps of Maleficent and Cinderella, which implies that the darker elements of the book (such as Esméralda being falsely accused of murder and being sentenced to death) are likely to be removed.
As well as Disney’s musical adaptation, the story has also been brought to the big screen on a number of other occasions, including the 1939 film starring Charles Laughton and a 1956 version with Anthony Quinn.
Chernin’s female-led reboot isn’t the only upcoming take on the classic novel with an independent film called The Hunchback also in pre-production, starring Steven Berkoff.
