Ewan McGregor in Talks to Play Disney’s Christopher Robin

Ewan McGregor could play Christopher Robin in the Disney live-action movie of the same name. Disney are busy remaking, rebooting, or reimagining nearly all of their most popular animated properties into live-action movies, and among them is Winnie the Pooh. A new movie is set to focus on Christopher Robin as an adult, who is immersed in work and business, and who has forgotten his imagination – a cardinal sin in the world of Disney.

This Christopher Robin movie is not to be confused with the A.A. Milne biopic, Gooodbye, Christopher Robin, which stars Domhnall Gleeson. That movie is set to release in November, 2017, while Disney’s Christopher Robin movie has yet to have a release date set. That said, Disney’s recently released slate through 2021 holds no less than fifteen slots for live-action movies, so it’s safe to assume it’s penciled in somewhere.

The project already has a director attached in the form of Marc Foster (Finding Neverland), and now THR is reporting that Ewan McGregor is in talks to play the titular role. Though no deal is done as of yet, McGregor coming onboard would give the project some much needed credence, since it seems to be getting forgotten about amidst news of Aladdin, Mulan, The Little Mermaid and Dumbo remakes.

Alex Ross Perry wrote the first draft of the screenplay, with Tom McCarthy then taking over. Now it’s also reported that Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures) is coming on board to work on the script some more, hopefully firming up the work into something that will capture the hearts and imaginations of those who have grown up with Milne’s characters and The Hundred Acre Wood.

It’s been a busy year for McGregor, who has starred in T2: Trainspotting, and is currently on the small screen starring in the third season of FX’s Fargo as brothers. He’s also made his Disney debut (not including Star Wars) as the voice of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, and his performance in that movie, which has already grossed over $1 billion worldwide, is sure to stand him good stead with the studio execs.

Christopher Robin sounds like it will be a more emotive and poignant movie than we’re used to seeing with the characters of Winnie the Pooh, and that could well suit McGregor’s acting style. Couple the possible addition of McGregor with the fact that McCarthy has recently directed and produced Netflix’s angst-ridden teen drama, 13 Reasons Why, and the fact that Foster directed the huge tear-jerker, Finding Neverland, and Christopher Robin could shape up to be a movie aimed at adults rather than the younger generation who still think of Christopher Robin frolicking in the woods with Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore.



[Screen Rant]