Josh Gad, Composer Alan Menken, & More Join Disney's Live-Action 'Hunchback' Remake

The Disney remake train is about to leave the terminal yet again. With no less than three separate live-action remakes scheduled for 2019 (“Dumbo,” “The Lion King,” and “Aladdin”), you would think that the Mouse House is going to eventually run out of animated classics to redo. Well, we’ve officially entered the late-’90s catalog, with the news that Disney is set to remake “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Deadline is reporting that writer David Henry Hwang has been hired to pen the script for the upcoming live-action musical. And joining the screenwriter are none other than Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who will handle the songwriting and music, as well as Josh Gad, who will be a producer.

For those not familiar with ‘The Hunchback,’ the film is based on the Victor Hugo classic novel of the same name, and tells the story of the titular character who falls in love with the enchanting Gypsy Esmeralda. And as you might expect, there’s an evil villain that’s sole purpose is to keep the two apart.

Hwang is a Tony-winning playwright, with credits that include “M. Butterfly,” “Chinglish,” “Yellow Face,” “Kung Fu,” “Golden Child,” and “The Dance and the Railroad.” Menken, of course, is the eight-time Oscar-winning composer of Disney classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Pocahontas.” He also is responsible for the original score for Disney’s ‘The Hunchback.’ He’s joined by Schwartz, who has won three Oscars of his own, as well as multiple Tony’s.

Josh Gad is the wildcard in this scenario. He’s obviously an accomplished actor, with Disney’s “Frozen” and the Broadway hit “The Book of Mormon” being his big hits. The report says that he’s definitely onboard ‘Hunchback’ as a producer, but it’s unclear whether or not he’ll star as the titular character. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that should be an easy choice.

There’s no release date as of now, but with the frequency that Disney is releasing these remakes, we have to assume that this one will move along fairly quickly.