Questlove is heading to the world of The Aristocats for his next movie project.
Deadline reports that the Oscar-winning documentarian for Summer of Soul, Questlove will head to Disney to direct the live-action/hybrid reboot of The Aristocats. This will be his feature film debut.
Along with directing, Questlove will also executive produce via Two One Five Entertainment, the production company led by Questlove and fellow The Roots member Tarik Trotter. Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman of Two One Five are also executive producing with Gluck via his Olive Bridge production company.
Questlove will also oversee music for the film, which makes sense seeing how the original Aristocats had jazz influences, particularly with the song, “Everybody Wants to Be A Cat.” Keith Bunin and Will Gluck will write the script. Another hybrid Disney reboot, Lady and the Tramp, had a similar set up with a Black entertainer overseeing the music; for that film, Janelle Monáe and Wondaland oversaw the music, particularly in an attempt to take out racist overtones from the Siamese cats’ song. The Aristocats has a similar racist overtone with one of the musical cats being portrayed as an Asian stereotype.
The film will follow the original 1970 animated story of a rich Parisian cat and her kittens who are set to inherit a fortune upon the death of their owner, but they are kidnapped by the owner’s butler. To return to their owner, they must trust in a slick alley cat to get back home.
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