With every studio regime change there remains a number of promising projects left to die a slow death in turnaround, and when 20th Century Fox CEO Tom Rothman stepped down in September this was certainly the case. The first casualty turned out to be the adaptation of beloved children's book "Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" — with both Lisa Cholodenko and Steve Carell attached — but now after nearly a month of studio bargaining it seems the film has found a more family-friendly home.
First announced in April, with Cholodenko set to direct and and Carell cast in a lead role, Deadline now reports that Disney is extremely close to picking up 'Alexander' from its free agent status. Produced by Shawn Levy's company 21 Laps, the project takes its source material from Judith Viorst's book, about an unlucky family (with Carell as the father) living through a horrendous day, while the youngest son Alexander ponders a permanent move to Australia. Fierce interest from Universal, Sony, MGM and Walden kept strong through the month, but in the end it was the Mouse House that emerged victorious.
The competition is understandable too, since the property possesses a built-in audience keen on seeing a worthwhile adaptation made, and with the team of Cholodenko and Carell looking more than up to the challenge, franchise possibilities remain ripe. The books themselves have spawned two sequels, "Alexander, Who's Not (Do Your Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going To Move" and "Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday," so Cholodenko and writer Rob Lieber could find themselves in for two more installments at least if all goes well.
Until then, keep eyes peeled as Cholodenko finally is able to move forward with what could be a fantastic effort from the parties involved.
