The slipper has come off of Disney's live-action adaptation of Cinderella, just as it seemed to be progressing quite nicely. Cate Blanchett had recently been set to play the evil stepmother, and actresses such as Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander, and Gabriella Wilde were in the running for the title role. But Deadline is now reporting that director Mark Romanek(Never Let Me Go) has departed the film due to clashes with the studio over the tone.
Apparently, Romanek's vision was simply too dark for the studio, who probably want it to be lighter and more accessible to general audiences. I'm guessing they'd love it if it turned out like Mirror Mirror or along those lines. This isn't the first time Romanek has run into such an issue, having left The Wolfman for similar reasons. He lucked out on that one. My question is why they would pick Romanek for a film like this, anyway? His resume, which includes the psycho-drama One Hour Photo, don't peg him as the sort to do bright and cheerful.
Disney still plans to move forward with Cinderella this summer, and is actively seeking a director to step in so as to keep the schedule intact. Romanek's a great filmmaker, so hopefully he rebounds from this onto something more his speed.
