After making the indie hit Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, taking on a Disney remake doesn’t exactly sound like a natural progression, but it could be the course David Lowrey will take. The filmmaker is reportedly in talks to helm Disney’s Pete’s Dragon remake.
Sources for TheWrap say that Lowrey could helm the project, which he co-wrote with Toby Halbrooks. Although the original 1977 film was a musical, Holbrooks and Lowrey are stripping the film of music.
Lowrey did work with children on his feature debut, St. Nick and he will have to take that experience with him to Pete’s Dragon. The original film, which isn’t exactly a Disney classic, told the story of a boy and his huge dragon, which was brought to life with animation. Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons and Shelley Winters were members of the cast.
Indiewire notes that Lowrey does have several projects in the works, so Pete’s Dragon may be a while off. In addition to producing, he’s signed to direct Casey Affleck again in Two, a sci-fi project.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was released last year and starred Affleck and Rooney Mara. The film has more in common with Terrence Malick’s work than a Disney movie, so it will be interesting to see how his vision translates to Disney.