Disney+ continues to grow by the day with enticing original content that Netflix is calling, “Totally fine, not even a problem actually.” The latest:Deadlinereports thatBook of Enchantment, a live-action series following the House of Mouse’s iconic rogues gallery, has been in development for six months fromMichael Seitzman, who wrote the pilot and will serve as showrunner. The show is based on the book series by authorSerena Valentino, which turned the stories of Disney’s greatest antagonists into standalone adventures.
It’s an intriguing pitch, not the least of which is because of Seitzman himself. He served as a writer on series like CBSIntelligenceandQuanticoand created the medical dramaCode Black. Recently, Seitzman was put at the head of Hulu’s plannedJohn GrishamUniverse, which starts with two series based on the author’sThe RainmakerandThe Rogue Lawyer. Unless therealDisney villain along has beenfast-pacedlegal jargon, it’s not immediately clear why Seitzman is the right man for the job.
Disney has found success in the past with throwing its villains into a live-action story, though. DirectorRobert Stromberg’sMaleficent—starringAngelina Jolieas the classic Sleeping Beauty antagonist—became the highest-grossing movie of 2014, bringing in a downright evil $758 million worldwide. (A sequel is on its way in 2020.) More recently, the live-actionAladdinmovie trailer certainly came under its fair share of scrutiny thanks toWill Smith’s frankly horrifying genie, but there’s no denying that actorMarwan Kenzariis playing a Jafar who most certainly fucks. There are different kinds of successes, people.
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