Disney Returning To Prydain

Disney is in early development on a new movie based on Lloyd Alexander’s classic young adult fantasy series The Chronicles Of Prydain.

Reports vary as to whether the studio recently acquired the rights to the entire series, or whether they had held them since Disney produced the 1985 animated feature The Black Cauldron, based on the first two books in the series – The Book Of Three and The Black Cauldron.

The Black Cauldron was produced for the rather expensive for the time $44 million, a price tag slightly inflated from the norm due to it being the first animated film from the studio to use computer generated imagery. However, it was a dud on release, earning a paltry $21 million domestic gross. With Disney holding the film back from home video distribution for more than a decade, the film’s poor reputation was sealed.

It is not known if Disney’s new run at the material will be animated or if they are looking at a live action adaptation of the tale of Taran, a lowly assistant pig-keeper, and his his journey to become a hero.