Frozen scribe and co-director Jennifer Lee has chosen her next Disney motion picture project and it won’t be an original tale. Per Variety, Lee has been tapped by the Mouse House to adapt the children’s novel A Wrinkle in Time for the big screen.
The success of Frozen has shot Lee’s stock through the roof after it was already elevated following the success of Wreck-It Ralph, which she also co-wrote. Lee is heavily involved with Disney Animation Studios, offering her input and advice on numerous projects. That responsibility will continue as she puts pen to paper and begins to draft the A Wrinkle in Time screenplay.
Madeleine L’Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time in 1962 and it went on to earn numerous awards and kick off a series of stories starring the Murry and O’Keefe families. It follows a young girl and other children who set off on an epic time-travel adventure in search of the girl’s missing government scientist father.
Variety reports that Lee is a big fan of L’Engle’s book and pitched a female-driven narrative that impressed Disney executives. Frozen’s ability to generate over $1.3 billion in global box office business as an original concept starring two female leads no doubt contributed to Disney snatching up Lee’s A Wrinkle in Time pitch.
Though Lee will write the A Wrinkle in Time, Disney will be seeking someone else to direct as Lee continues to focus her energy on story narratives. No names has surfaced in that hunt and it could be some time before someone is chosen based on how quickly the adaptation comes together.
