Saturday, September 26, 2009

Disney Rejects Mamet's "Diary of Anne Frank"

Show of hands for those who saw this coming from a galaxy away! {raises hand}

It appears that the marriage between Disney and David Mamet didn't work (duh!). It really isn't the fault of anyone, since each one has a separate vision. Disney is ... well, Disney, while David Mamet is a creative genius that has never been afraid to reinvent things and explore themes up to the n'th degree. So when Mamet was hired by Disney to remake "The Diary of Anne Frank", it was a rather puzzling choice, to say the least.

It now appears that Disney has dropped the project. It's not because of the nature of the story (which in itself is dark and sad since we all know Anne Frank's fate), but it is that Mamet has changed the story into something else.

But the screenplay is not a retelling of the famous Holocaust drama taken from the diaries of Frank, but about a contemporary Jewish girl who goes to Israel and learns about the traumas of suicide bombing.

With the studio in a state of limbo after the ouster of chairman Dick Cook, it is unlikely that any projects will be getting the go-ahead at the moment, say executives doing business there.

"It's very intense, and dark and scary," said the executive. "It's not a film version of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.' The story evolved into something more intense."


It probably could fit into the Miramax brand, but I don't think Disney want to touch this potentially controversial subject even with a 10-ft Pinocchio's nose.

Zz.

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