Whatever desperate deal the studios struck with the idea imp—that gnomish trickster who grants them their wishes of a chance at an Alice In Wonderland-like dark fairy tale blockbuster, but demands that each “reimagining” come in pairs or more—he’s come to collect on The Little Mermaid. We reported last year that Atonement director Joe Wright was planning his own adaptation of the classic Hans Christian Anderson story, one that would do away with the cartoon crabs and return it to its bloody roots, and now The Hollywood Reporter says that Sony is developing its own Little Mermaid adaptation with Country Strong director Shana Feste. And in accordance with the imp’s dastardly decree, Wright’s faithful version will be answered by a “dark retelling” based on Carolyn Turgeon’s Mermaid: A Twist On The Classic Tale, in which the Mermaid similarly sacrifices everything and lives in agony to be with her prince, only to find herself battling with a princess from a rival kingdom. So before the third full moon following the vernal equinox, someone must produce a “contemporary reimagining” or all our crops will turn to dust.
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