LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- The Walt Disney Co. is in talks with Guillermo del Toro to direct the studio's big-screen version of "The Wind in the Willows."
Once a deal is reached, del Toro will work to further refine a treatment for the film and supervise the development of the high-profile project, for which no writer is yet attached. Sources compared the scope of del Toro's role in overseeing the project from the ground up to that of director Peter Jackson's on "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."
Based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's tale, "Willows" will be a live-action/CGI version of the classic animal adventure story. Disney's version of "Willows" is likely to have a substantial budget and use its share of visual effects.
"Willows" is being produced by Neal Moritz through his Original Film Co. and executive produced by Corey May and Michael "Dooma" Wendschuh, whom Moritz mentored through the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. May and Wendschuh had initially crafted a "Willows" treatment in part based on the artwork of Art Center College of Design student Baruch Inbarto, who will receive a co-producer credit and contribute to the film's design.
At the studio, "Willows" will be overseen by production president Nina Jacobson, vp Jeff Clifford and director of development Kristin Burr.
