Disney has found their director to adapt T.A. Barron‘s novel series focused on the early days of the wizard Merlin long before he meant King Arthur. Michael Matthews of Love and Monsters fame will tackle the project after Ridley Scott had to leave the project due to his schedule. The project is currently in early development with Gil Netter set to produce and Chris Weitz having written the film’s script.
The film will act as an origin story for the famous mentor of King Arthur, but there’s no word if they might also pay tribute to Disney’s animated film The Sword in the Stone from 1963. As it’s an adaptation of Barron‘s work, it will most likely not include any elements even if it’s an easy connection to make given the versatility of King Arthur adaptations.
Matthews made his name in the industry with the adventure film Love and Monsters, which starred Dylan O’Brien and Jessica Henwick. It especially got a new life when it was released on Netflix internationally after a good PVOD run a few months earlier. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to this adaptation and what Disney’s plans are with the franchise.
Source: Deadline
