Women Talking director Sarah Polley in talks to helm Bambi live-action film for Disney

Women Talking director Sarah Polley is in talks to direct a live-action remake of Bambi for Disney.

The filmmaker, 44, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay this year for the Rooney Mara movie, is in line to direct the feature film which is in very “early development,” reports deadline.

The intention to adapt the 1942 classic was first announced in 2020 with the production of Depth of Field, created by Chris and Paul Weitz who would take on the production of the film and Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer as writers.

However, the current writing and production team is unknown, and the start date for the project is also up in the air.

The original 1928 Disney children’s classic and book told a story of love, life and loss for young fawn Bambi, with the film’s most heartbreaking moment when Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

1942 classic: The 44-year-old filmmaker, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay this year for the Rooney Mara-directed film, is in line to direct the feature film which is in very “early development,” reports deadline

Fans should expect to see the same photo-realistic CGI used in previous remakes – such as Disney and director Jon Favreau’s The Lion King – to tell the story of everyone’s favorite fawn.

The film’s arc contains some heavy themes, such as coping with loss and questioning the morality of the hunt.

Seeing the loss of Bambi’s mother in all-too-lifelike CGI form may be upsetting to some viewers, but probably won’t be a deterrent.

In November, it was revealed that the director behind Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey was planning a horror version of Bambi – with a new movie titled Bambi: The Reckoning.

The independent horror film about the beloved storybook characters in the Hundred Acre Wood who went on a killing spree stunned fans — and director Rhys Frake-Waterfield hoped a “Bambi on rabies” version of the classic tale would have the same reception.

However, viewers familiar with the deer-eyed Bambi will be in for a shock when director Scott Jeffrey — who will be working with executive producer Frake-Waterfield — said the deer will represent the antler/human body hybrid seen in Netflix’s The Ritual. .

He told DreadCentralThe film will be an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love. Inspired by the design used in Netflix’s The Ritual, Bambi becomes a vicious killing machine lurking in the wilderness. Prepare for Bambi with rabies!”

The announcement comes shortly after another horror remake – Frake-Waterfield revealed that he’s planning a new movie Neverland Nightmare, centered around the wholesome character Peter Pan.

Peter Pan, the iconic free-spirited young boy who can fly and never grows up, has often been portrayed on screen, but this will only be his second appearance as a horror character, following Robbie Kay’s evil portrayal in Once Upon a Time.

Heavy Themes: The movie deals directly with loss as Bambi loses his mother in the first few minutes of the movie

Critically acclaimed: Women Talking – starring Rooney Mara (pictured) received critical acclaim

All too true: Disney transformed The Lion King into a live-action feature film in 2019