High School Musical trilogy director Kenny Ortega returns to Disney with a young adult film adaptation of the iconic Broadway play.
After 20 years since its last mainstream adaptation, The Phantom of the Opera is getting a revival and will be heading to the more kid-friendly platform Disney+.
While Gaston Leroux’s 1909 novel was transformed into an award-winning Broadway musical and a timeless film, this time around the Beauty and the Beast love story will focus on a younger cast.
Deadline confirmed The streaming service has greenlit a young adult film adaptation that will be directed by Ortega and his personal production studio, The KO Company.
Ortega is best known for his work on Disney Channel’s biggest film franchises, High School Musical and Descendants, as well as other popular works such as Newsies, The Cheetah Girls and Hocus Pocus.
Despite a great working relationship with the House of Mouse, Ortega distanced himself from them and between a five-year deal with Netflix, during which he produced the original series Julie and the Phantoms. Unfortunately, the series was canceled after one season.
The film would be Ortega’s first Disney project since 2019, and while not much is known about it so far, the outlet reported that the director’s Ghost has the potential to “become a franchise similar to The Descendants if it moves forward.”
This will be the first time the romantic musical will be aimed at a younger audience, as its mature themes of isolation, murder, stalking and obsession have been geared toward adults throughout its many adaptations.
The biggest hurdle Disney and Oretga will face with their Gen Z version will likely be how to incorporate the more horror-centric elements, which play a large role in the overall story, into a mainstream adaptation.
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