An image from the 1996 animated of James and the Giant Peach. It’s now getting a new remake. Image: Disney

After The BFG—a Roald Dahl adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg, of all people—failed to connect at the box office, one would have thought the odds of Disney quickly announcing another Dahl property probably seemed slim. Well, that’s exactly what just happened.


Deadline is reporting that Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for American Beauty and also directed Skyfall and Road to Perdition, is in talks to develop and direct a live-action version of Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach for Disney. The company previously adapted the property in 1996 with director Henry Selick.

Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) would do the screenplay as part of the package, but according to the trade, talks are still relatively early. There’s no guarantee the deal actually happens, let alone gets turned into a movie. All we know is Mendes has repeatedly said he’s done with the James Bond franchise after two hit movies and now he’s looking for a new project. James and the Giant Peach may be it.


[Deadline]