Sarah Polley in Talks to Direct Disney’s Live-Action ‘Bambi’

The news comes as Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is lighting up the box office and could follow in the footsteps of the photoreal CG-filled “The Lion King” and “The Jungle Book.” While those films were blockbusters, it has not been confirmed as to whether this seemingly less epic offering will be intended for theatres or, as we saw with “Pinocchio,” “Lady and the Tramp” and “Peter Pan and Wendy,” Disney+.

Sarah Polley is coming off an Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay for the critically acclaimed “Women Talking,” which was her first directorial effort in over a decade following the autobiographical documentary “Stories We Tell.”

An adaptation of Felix Salten’s 1923 novel, Disney’s animated “Bambi” is considered one of the early classics of the earliest era of Walt Disney’s animated output. “Bambi” was the fifth Walt Disney animated feature film, released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1942, and has earned $267 million worldwide over its original release and copious reissues.