Bill Willingham's highly acclaimed DC/Vertigo comic series Fables is back in development at Warner Bros.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed today that Nikolaj Arcel, director of last year's compelling drama A Royal Affair, is now attached to helm a big screen adaptation. Jeremy Slater, who recently wrote the script for the Fantastic Four reboot that Josh Trank will direct at Fox, is adapting. If you are unfortunate enough to be unfamiliar with Fables, then firstly, shame on you. The truly awesome series follows iconic fairy tale and folklore legends who have been forced into refuge in a modern day New York after being exiled from their fantasy homeland. So you have Snow White has divorced from womaniser Prince Charming because he played away, Big Bad Wolf is a film nor esque, rugged sheriff and Cinderella sells shoes. The first story arc from the series' inception in 2002 follows the murder of Snow White's sister Rose Red and is a good old fashioned mystery story with fantasy elements. It's basically the far superior source material that both NBC and ABC ripped off for their fantasy shows Once Upon A Time and Grimm... but don't let that put you off. If Arcel manages to translate what is on the page accurately to the big screen, then we are talking about something much more significant here... even if Fables is really setup to work better as a TV series (each story arc is set in a different genre and it would be hard to tell everyone's story on film). And don't be fooled by Arcel's last period drama picture or the fact that he is also developing a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. He has a history with broad, fantasy material. He directed Island Of Lost Souls, a kids movie in his Norwegian homeland in 2007. Fables is in good hands being produced by Heydey Films, who developed the Harry Potter saga. David Yates, the helmer of the last few Potter's and a one time candidate to direct Fables, is also producing the movie... so lots of talented people here and fantastic potential. Let's hope WB actually get this one over the line and made.