Variety is reporting that Josh Brolin has pitched a new take on Victor Hugo's classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Warner Bros. with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney attached to write the script. There aren't any plot details currently available other than what's well-known about the beloved story, which follows the deformed Quasimodo who dwells within the titular cathedral in Paris and falls in love with the Gypsy Esmeralda.
According to the source, the studio would like to develop the project as a directing vehicle for Tim Burton, a WB regular with a penchant for revitalizing fairy tales and fantasy stories of old (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, the list could go on). However, Burton is currently putting the finishing touches on the adaptation/remake of his first film Frankenweenie and preparing Dark Shadows for a spring start, so his involvement in this project could be delayed quite some time if he plans on helming it.
The proposed creative team makes this all sound more interesting than it really is. On paper, the prospect of Brolin and Burton teaming for a potentially epic period piece is awesome. But this is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's been done to death. The Oscar nominated actor better have an ace up his sleeve, otherwise I'm afraid it'll look something like this.
Source: Variety