“Mozart in the Jungle” helmer to direct Emma Stone’s “Cruella”

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Mozart in the Jungle” writer and director Alex Timbers is in negotiations to direct “Cruella,” the origin tale of the classic Disney villain, starring Emma Stone, Variety said.

Jez Butterworth wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay. Andrew Gunn is producing, while Kristin Burr and Jessica Virtue are overseeing the film for the studio.

Disney considered a slew of directors for the movie, including a handful of theater helmers, like Sam Gold, before turning to Timbers.

De Vil is the villain who was obsessed with capturing the puppies in the 1961 animated classic “101 Dalmatians.” Glenn Close played the baddie in the 1996 live-action film produced by John Hughes, in which her character was also the head of a fashion house.

The latest film follows Disney’s recent trend of rebooting classic animated tales like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Jungle Book,” and turning them into live-action adaptations.

Best known for his work on Broadway, the two-time Tony nominee’s theater credits include an adaptation of the boxing classic “Rocky” and “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” which earned him a Tony nomination.

In addition to his work on Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle,” Timbers has also been developing several film projects, including an untitled William Shakespeare musical for Disney.

Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.