Ridley Scott In Talks to Direct 'The Merlin Saga' by Disney
Disney may have found its director for "The Merlin Saga" in Ridley Scott.
According to Variety, the "Alien: Covenant" director is in talks not only to helm the highly anticipated film but also produce it through his production company, Scott Free. The deal is not closed yet, but it is expected that the award-winning director will ultimately take the directing gig.
Gil Netter is also reportedly in negotiations to serve as producer for "The Merlin Saga" while "Lord of the Rings" scribe Philippa Boyens will write the script.
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Based on the books by T.A. Barron, "The Merlin Saga" will tell the humble beginnings of young Merlin who, as fans of his stories would know, became the mentor of the classic literary character King Arthur.
Disney is looking to produce a film series centered on the legendary wizard and is currently developing another movie besides "The Merlin Saga" for this.
That film is none other than "Sword in the Stone," which will be a live-action adaptation of the 1963 classic of the same name. Scott is also being eyed to direct this one.
This animated movie told the origin story of King Arthur and how his life turned upside down and will never be the same upon meeting Merlin.
The abovementioned publication says that "The Merlin Saga" will be the first high-profile project based on the beloved character since the 1998 NBC series "Merlin" starring Sam Neill.
As for Scott, he directed the recently released crime thriller film "All the Money in the World," majority of which he had to reshoot with Christopher Plummer as billionaire John Paul Getty in time for its initial debut after the sexual abuse allegations against Kevin Spacey emerged.
The director also recently revived his science-fiction horror media franchise "Alien" with "Alien: Covenant." Some of his most notable works are "Blade Runner," "Gladiator," and "The Martian."
"The Merlin Saga" has no release date yet.
