Brenda Chapman is ready to step behind the camera again. Just weeks after the world premiere of “Come Away,” her “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” prequel, comes word that Chapman will write and a direct live-action hybrid feature based on “Ghost Squad,” an upcoming Scholastic novel. Deadline broke the news.
Written by Claribel Ortega and set to hit shelves in April, “Ghost Squad” tells the story of Lucely and her best friend, Syd, “two outcast kids living in the famously old St. Augustine, Florida. In efforts to right a past wrong-doing, the pair casts a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits right before Halloween,” the source summarizes. “Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witchy grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town – and Lucely’s firefly ancestors – before it’s too late.”
Scholastic Entertainment, Josephson Entertainment, and ‘Twas Entertainment are developing and producing the project.
“I’ve wanted to work with Brenda Chapman ever since our daughter Shira declared ‘Brave’s’ Merida her favorite kick-ass female character ever!” said Josephson Entertainment’s Barry Josephson. “We’re very fortunate that Scholastic has invited us to produce ‘Ghost Squad’ alongside them. We cannot wait to launch this completely original franchise.”
Chapman became the first woman to direct an animated feature for a major Hollywood studio with the Oscar-winning “The Prince of Egypt.” She created, wrote, and directed “Brave,” becoming the first woman to win an Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. Her latest pic, Angelina Jolie-starrer “Come Away,” just debuted at Sundance Film Festival. The pic imagines that Alice and Wonderland and Peter Pan were siblings before their famous stories began. The sister and brother are leading idyllic lives when tragedy strikes their family, and they use their imaginations to cope. No word on a theatrical release date for “Come Away” just yet.
When we asked Chapman about what differences she’s noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched she said, “There is certainly a lot more press about women in the industry. I have received more calls, as have my female friends and colleagues in animation, for opportunities in both animation and live-action. While it seems to be getting a bit better,” she observed, “the pace still feels a bit slow for many women in the forward progression of “the big three”: opportunities actually coming to fruition, pay parity, and recognition.”
