Paul King Directing Disney’s ‘Prince Charming’ Movie

‘Paddington’ and ‘Wonka’ Director Paul King to Handle Disney’s Live-Action ‘Prince Charming’

He’ll be bringing his own take to the classic Disney prince as seen in the likes of ‘Cinderella.’ But will it be a musical?

Director Paul King at the London World Premiere of 'Wonka.' Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Preview:

‘Paddington’ director Paul King is tackling Disney’s ‘Prince Charming.’
It’ll be a live-action take on the typically animated character.
Simon Farnaby and Jon Croker are co-writing the script.

Disney has been on a real adaptation spree in the last decade or so, rooting through its animated back catalogue for titles and characters it can use to make new live-action films.

While the quality and box office has been hit-or-miss, the company is still committed to the idea, with prequel ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ landing in December, ‘Snow White’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ following next year and ‘Moana’ due in 2026.

We can add Prince Charming to the list, as, according to Deadline, filmmaker Paul King has made a deal to turn the character into a new live-action fairytale.

What’s the story of ‘Prince Charming’?

(L to R) Lily James and Richard Madden in 'Cinderella'. Photo: Walt Disney Studios.

That’s the big question at this point –– Charming rarely has much of his own story, usually being found as the romantic interest for the likes of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, though his real origin lies in ‘Cinderella.’

Cinderella

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Deadline has heard, however, that we shouldn’t expect specific ties to any of the stories –– but it’ll still be interesting to see where King and his collaborators take the tale.

What else has Paul King directed?

Hugh Grant in StudioCanal's 'Paddington 2.'

King, who got his start on British television with the likes of comedy series ‘The Mighty Boosh,’ graduated to features with ‘Bunny and the Bull’ in 2009 but is probably best known for the pair of instant classics that are the first two ‘Paddington’ movies, one in 2014 and the even better-received sequel in 2017.

He’s also since co-written and directed musical prequel ‘Wonka’ starring Timothée Chalamet as the chocolatier who will go on to feature in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ The 2023 movie scored more great reviews for King and earned more than $634 million at the worldwide box office.

‘Prince Charming’ will see King co-writing the script with Jon Croker (who contributed to both ‘Paddington’ movies) and Simon Farnaby, who similarly co-wrote on the ‘Paddington’ movies, appeared in both and also co-wrote/acted in ‘Wonka.’

The reunion of this particular creative team gives us a lot of hope for the Charming film –– hopefully it will turn out as sweet and weird at their other movies.

When would the new ‘Prince Charming’ be in theaters?

Even with its history of cranking out these live-action movies, Disney has yet to announce a release date for –– or even confirm the new status of –– the Prince Charming movie.

We can’t imagine it would arrive before 2026.