Dan Trachtenberg to Take ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in New Direction for Disney

Lately, it seems like Disney is all-in on live-action adaptations of its popular animated movies, but this recent bit of “Sleeping Beauty” news points to a different move for the studio.

Disney Bringing in a Heavyweight

Disney is entrusting one of its legacy animated properties to none other than Dan Trachtenberg (“Predator: Badlands,” “Prey,” “10 Cloverfield Lane”), who is taking a stab at a new, fresh take on “Sleeping Beauty.” After his critically successful run with the “Predator” franchise, Trachtenberg is pivoting from aliens to princesses.

It might seem cliché to some, but Trachtenberg has a good track record when it comes to the “strong, female lead” trope, with women (or women-coded characters) exercising sharp problem-solving skills to get themselves out of predicaments. Despite making numerous films of IPs he doesn’t own, he has a tendency to mold these stories with his voice, while still staying true to the core of the idea. It’s a tricky balance, one that we’ll see play out with his “Sleeping Beauty” project.

We have no plot details, as everything is still in the early stages, but what we do know is that Trachtenberg, along with Rayna McClendon, came up with an entirely new story (script written by Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf) taking Aurora’s tale in a different direction. This film won’t tie into Angelina Jolie’s “Maleficent” universe and won’t even be a live-action retelling of the 1959 classic.

Trachtenberg and Disney already have an established successful relationship, considering his aforementioned success with “Predator” over on Hulu, culminating in an Emmy nomination.

Telling a Different ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Story

It’ll be intriguing to see Trachtenberg and McClendon’s take on Princess Aurora’s slightly (and growing more so) controversial story. Aurora’s entire life is dictated by other people’s decisions, curses she took no part in, and wasn’t even in control of her own first kiss. We’ve been given stories of women revolting from a villainous lens (“Cruella,” “The Bride!”), but a new direction for “Sleeping Beauty” could be an opportunity to explore similar ideas from a princess typically seen as vapid and boring.

Trachtenberg and longtime collaborator Ben Rosenblatt will produce, in addition to “Star Wars” producer Michelle Rejwan.

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