When was the last time you thought about the cartoon Gargoyles? Yes, the cult classic from the 90’s Gargoyles. I bet it’s been years. It seems as though Jordan Peele of all people wants to change that given his apparent interest in directing a reboot of the franchise.
Peele is hot off the heels of the announcement of his upcoming film Us, and given the phenomenal success of Get Out most of us would probably agree that more Jordan Peele isn’t a bad thing. That’s why when reports surfaced that he approached Disney about adapting Gargoyles for the big screen fans were fairly taken aback with excitement.
The Ankler, an entertainment newsletter, broke the news of the Academy Award winner’s interest in the latest issue and had this to say:
“How do you turn down Jordan Peele? Well, you can’t. Who wants to be responsible for that decision? So in the absence of a good reason to say no, but prevented by their Big IP box from saying yes, Disney is slow walking the decision. It’s hoping, it seems, that they’ll run out the clock, he’ll sign other deals elsewhere, and the project will just fade away.”
A creative push from a director that fans would clamor to theaters to see, and a studio standing in the way. This feels oddly familiar, doesn’t it?
That being said, Disney has been cranking out live movies one after the other these days and even announced Tim Burton’s Dumbo will reach us next year. This bodes well for fans hoping for a reboot, as the media giant’s recent live-action reboots have garnered success and praise for the most part. Another factor that may play into the wishes of eager fans is that Disney actually showed interest in doing a Gargoyles film in 2010. The project was apparently to be headed up by Lauren Shuler Donner (X-Men) and Zoe Green (Wolverine), but was obviously canned, as it never saw the light of day.
Could Peele be hindered by the studio’s hesitance to work with a horror director? Given their trust in Tim Burton to handle the reboots of a couple of their most valuable titles it’s unlikely, but who knows? I’m sure Disney has a reason for not rebooting a beloved, nostalgia-laden title in the hands of a capable and talented director, which would no doubt garner immense success for them right?
