David Gordon Green has worn many genre hats during his directorial career, beginning with a handful of dramas before pivoting into broad studio comedy via Pineapple Express, Your Highness and The Sitter, but he’s been making his bed in horror for a while now.
Halloween Kills is coming to cinemas and streaming on Friday, he’s signed a bumper deal to create an entire Exorcist trilogy and he’s teaming up with regular collaborator Danny McBride to direct and executive produce HBO’s planned Hellraiser series. However, it looks as though he’ll be returning to his dramatic roots with the latest project he’s added to the slate.
As per Deadline, Green will direct a Disney Plus exclusive movie about Walt Disney’s long and winding road to building the theme park that bears his name. Evan Spiliotopoulos, no stranger to the Mouse House after writing multiple theatrical and straight-to-video titles including The Jungle Book 2, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure and the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, will pen the script.
The original Disneyland is the only theme park built under the direct supervision of Walt himself, and opened its doors in July 1955, where it’s retained a status as ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ ever since. Given that this is a Disney-backed title, it could easily devolve into hagiography at the expense of digging into the animation icon’s motivations and often confrontational personality, but Green is talented enough for us to give this one the benefit of the doubt for now.