Disney CEO Bob Iger recently revealed that the studio has secretly “killed a few projects” that they didn’t think were strong enough. Could one of those projects have been the live-action adaptation of The Sword in the Stone?

28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was attached to direct the live-action adaptation of The Sword in the Stone, but he recently told Collider that Disney has put the project on hold for now. “I was attached a long time ago, and I prepped a lot for Disney for that movie,” Fresnadillo said. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but the studio decided to hold the project. So right now it’s in a holding situation, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, to be honest. But I think it’s a great story. I would be so keen to make it if they decided to greenlight the project.“

Fresnadillo continued, “This industry is always dealing with many projects, and you don’t know exactly which are the ones that are going to make it. So, yeah, The Sword in the Stone, I really hope that that happens because I think there is a big fanbase waiting for that.“

Although Fresnadillo won’t get to explore the realm of fantasy with The Sword in the Stone, he will get that chance with Damsel. The upcoming fantasy stars Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) as a dutiful damsel who agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find that the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debut. She must rely on her wits and will to survive after being thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon.

Fresnadillo explained to Tudum why he wanted to make the movie: “What I really loved in the script from Dan Mazeau was embracing the idea of a fantasy adventure and a princess and dragon story, but taking it into a place [where] it’s completely upside down. It was a very intense journey that I was so excited to design and to develop. At the core, this is such a beautiful story about a young woman becoming a strong, independent, and empowered adult. Elodie doesn’t have any kind of support. It’s a real survival experience.” Damsel will debut on Netflix tomorrow.

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