The Sword in the Stone is Disney’s latest secret weapon

Anyone else getting bored with hearing about which of their animated classics Disney will be rebooting next? Well, tough, because news of more live-action treatment has just broken and this time it’s 1963’s The Sword in the Stone.

The man the studio have hired to pen the script is Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, who has admitted to being a big fan of the original motion picture as well as the legend of King Arthur itself – quite handy, really.

Having the somewhat dubious distinction of being the last Disney feature-length animation to be released before Walt Disney‘s passing, it enjoyed a reasonable, if not spectacular, reception from both fans and critics alike. Based upon the T.H. White book of the same name, it tells the tale of Arthur, a lowly young squire who eventually becomes king of England, with a little guidance from wizard Merlin and his pet owl, Archimedes, along the way.

If we were to talk about the full list of Disney animated movies in Premier League football terms, then The Sword in the Stone would probably be settling for a comfortable mid-table finish. In other words, not a member of the elite but still pretty damn good. But that’s not to say that, once the final reckoning comes and Disney gets tired of remakes, it can’t take the top honours in terms of live-action versions. Its storyline and characters perhaps lend themselves to the latter more than most, plus the fact that it won’t be carrying the same weight of expectation as, say, The Jungle Book, could work in its favour. Also, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned story straight from Arthurian legend?

How do you think The Sword in the Stone will translate into a live-action flick? Let us know.