A Shock in Time: 'A Wrinkle in 'Time Cast Locked, Filming Begins Today

What's that? More movement on a live-action Disney film that's not a dreaded remake of one of their animated classics?

If you know me well, you'll know that I'm no fan of this current "let's remake the animated classics" trend that's going on at Walt Disney Pictures. Their head honcho, Sean Bailey, has indeed found a formula that's working like gangbusters. The acclaimed The Jungle Book, a film I - no shock - did not really care for, nearly took in a big billion worldwide. Maleficent made $700 million+, Beauty and the Beast is sure to clear a billion worldwide. You get the idea, you get why more and more remakes are in the pipeline.

But it seems like anything that isn't just that doesn't have a reason to exist. Disney all but dumped films like The Finest Hours, Tomorrowland, The Lone Ranger, John Carter of Mars, and so on... But even re-imaginings didn't quite do so well, such as this year's Pete's Dragon and the sequel to Tim Burton's billion dollar smash Alice in Wonderland. See, those two films are visually and aesthetically unlike their animated (or in Pete's Dragon's case, partially animated) predecessors, so you can bet all future Disney remakes will be carbon copies of the classics in terms of their looks.

Anyways, a curious production has somehow bubbled its way up. A Wrinkle in Time, based on the sci-fi novel by Madeleine L'Engle, had landed Frozen writer-director Jennifer Lee and Selma director Ava DuVernay. That's an exciting intergalactic adventure about a teen girl who searches for her government agent father, with the help of her brother and her friend. Then a knock-out, diverse cast was announced... A few months ago, it seemed like this movie was actually going to happen! Imagine that! A live-action Disney film that's not a remake of an animated classic!

(Before you say it, yes... I'm well aware that Disney adapted this story once in 2003, for a poorly-received TV movie for their Wonderful World of Disney.)

Then I said, "Now wait a minute, remember what happened to TRON 3?" Had the cast, the script, filming was set to begin in October of last year... Disney pulled it in May 2015 after Tomorrowland bombed. It reminded me of how far George Miller's Justice League: Immortal got - whole cast, script, and everything - before Warner Bros. pulled the plug on it in 2008. Nothing to me is definite until cameras are rolling...

But apparently they are rolling. Director Ava DuVernay herself confirms, via Twitter. It's a thing, it's real! (Yes, my bitter jerk is on display today, and HOW!)

Feeling brave and strong and ready!Appreciate all the love + light! First shot up in 30. Here we go! #WRINKLEINTIME pic.twitter.com/LsF1Pbo2pQ

— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 2, 2016

No release date is locked, which is unusual considering that live-action Disney films without casts (*cough*Mulan*cough*) have concrete release dates. Of course, if you know a thing or two about the Mouse House's massive, no-holes-barred slate, you'll see that there's a couple 2018 slots that this movie could land in... But the confusing part is this...

When Disney announced the dates for their future live-action (or hyperreal CG, in some cases) flicks, they billed a majority of them as "Untitled Live-Action Fairy Tale". Only two were billed as just "Live-Action Film", one of them turned out to be Mary Poppins Returns. The other one is currently set for August 3, 2018.

Does Wrinkle take that slot? Seems like it could, considering that it's going to be a big $100 million+ production. (Big mistake if you ask me.) Or does it take the April 6, 2018 slot that's reserved for a "fairy tale"? It seems like "fairy tale" could mean anything to Disney these days, because Mulan is not a "fairy" tale. The live-action Mulan took the 11/2/2018 slot originally reserved for a "fairy tale". I guess you could consider A Wrinkle in Time to be a sci-fi fairy tale. Who knows with Disney. I don't think it'll make it to the currently unfilled 7/28/2017 fairy tale slot. At this rate, I think that goes to the low-budget Magic Camp that begins filming next month.

Anyways, good to know that it's actually happening. If it's a success, you'll see more, as the book got sequels. When you do think it'll hit? Do you think it will be a hit?