Joe Johnston taking on reshoots for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) will be tackling reshoots for the upcoming Disney film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, according to THR. The film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), though the directing change reportedly has to do with scheduling issues. Hallstrom will return for post-production. In a statement to the site, Hallstrom said, “The film is in very good hands in London while I’m away. I will return to post production after the holidays.” The reshoots will reportedly take 32 days and will involve script work from Tom McCarthy (Spotlight).
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Mackenzie Foy stars as Clara alongside Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer, Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, and American Ballet Theatre dancer Misty Copeland as the lead ballerina role for the film’s dance sequences. In the film, Clara has to get back a magical key in order to unlock a special gift from her godfather (Freeman), and goes looking for it across the Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, Land of Sweets and the foreboding Fourth Realm ruled by Mother Ginger.
Most famously adapted as a ballet by Tchaikovsky in the late 19th century, the Nutcracker tale originated as a short story titled “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. In it, a young girl’s dolls come to life on Christmas Eve alongside a noble nutcracker, who protects her from a villainous army of mice.
The film hails from director Lasse Hallstrom (My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules) and screenwriter Ashleigh Powell. Mark Gordon and Larry J. Franco are producing The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, with Lindy Goldstein executive producing.
Technically, the Disney Nutcracker movie marks another live-action remake of a classic Disney animation, as a famous segment in 1940’s Fantasia was built around the ballet. More recent live-action attempts on adapting the story include George Balanchine’s 1993 The Nutcracker, featuring Macaulay Culkin, and 2009’s Nutcracker in 3D starring Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane and John Turturro.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is set to open in theaters on November 2, 2018.
