Time to add yet another project to Guillermo Del Toro's heavy workload. Del Toro will be teaming up with Johnson to produce an adaptation of Frances Hodgson's Burnett's beloved book, The Secret Garden. Adapted numerous times, including 1993's Francis Ford Coppola-produced version, Del Toro is looking to make his special by bringing a distinctive voice to tackle the screenplay.
Beasts of the Southern Wild scribe Lucy Alibar has been brought on to pen the script, and a glimpse at the approach Del Toro is taking will tell you why she was chosen. The original story follows a 10-year girl in early 20th Century England who befriends a young crippled boy and finds the titular magical garden. Alibar will instead set the film in the American south, which she is obviously quite familiar with. If they flood the joint and rename it The Bathtub then there may be some problems.
Del Toro had been sought to direct it, but the guy needs to sleep at some point. Still, having him and Alibar on board is a terrific start, and now it'll be interesting to see who steps behind the camera. [Deadline]
