Disney taps Naked Gun and Popstar director Akiva Schaffer to helm live-action Cinderella spinoff Stepsisters
After getting upstaged by their unassuming sister, Disney is eager to shine a spotlight on Anastasia and Drizella, the two evil stepsisters from the 1950 animated classic, Cinderella. In a surprise announcement, Disney said it’s developing a live-action Cinderella spinoff, titled Stepsisters, focusing on the two unsung characters, with Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, The Naked Gun, Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers) in line to direct. Schaffer will helm the spinoff, based on a screenplay by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, rewritten from Michael Montemayor’s original script.
Who are Cinderella’s stepsisters?
In Disney’s Cinderella, Anastasia and Drizella are two wicked stepsisters who torment Cinderella throughout most of her upbringing. Viewing the blonde-haired bombshell as little more than “the help,” the duo present themselves as spoiled, jealous, and cruel, while trying their best to deprive Cinderella of any happiness. In Cinderella, Anastasia and Drizella will stop at nothing to become the perfect match for Prince Charming, even if that means altering their bodies and personalities to ensnare his royal highness.
There are so many Cinderella-related movies to go around
Plenty of Cinderella-related movies exist, including Ella Echanted, Into the Woods, A Cinderella Story, The Glass Slipper, The Slipper and the Rose, Ever After, A Cinderella Story, and my personal favorite, Emilie Blichfeldt’s body horror masterpiece, The Ugly Stepsister. In Blichfeldt’s disturbing fairy-tale satire, Elvira (Lea Myren) battles her gorgeous stepsister in a realm where beauty reigns supreme. She resorts to extreme measures to captivate the prince, amid a ruthless competition for physical perfection. WARNING: The Ugly Stepsister is NOT for kids. So, if you’re reading this article and you’re like, “Oh, that sounds interesting,” know that you’re walking into a horror film that will make your skin crawl and your stomach turn.
If the shoe fits
Schaffer is a longtime partners with The Lonely Island’s Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, and their Party Over Here is producing Stepsisters. You know what? I’m game! Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is one of my favorite comedy films ever, and Schaffer’s Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers is the closest thing to a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-like we’ll ever get. I do not doubt that he’s got great ideas for Stepsisters, especially given that Anastasia and Drizella are such despicable characters to elaborate on. Let’s go!
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