Who would be your first choice in casting for The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘s Quasimodo—the disfigured, shadowy figure who lives in seclusion in the highest recesses of the famous church, away from the townsfolk who consider him a monster? Obviously the answer is Idris Elba, who will star in, direct, and produce a modern retelling of Victor Hugo’s classic 1831 Gothic romance novel for Netflix.
While Elba might actually be the last man on Earth most people would picture as the hideous but kindhearted bell ringer, The Hollywood Reporter says he will play the most famous (non-Igor) hunchback in history in a film described as a “sonic and musical experience.” Elba will also be producing the music for the movie, but no word yet on whether or not he’ll also be baking snacks for the crew and driving everyone home.
Michael Mitnick (The Giver) will write the script, and Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Midnight Special) are also signed on as producers. This is Elba’s second foray with the streaming site, as Netflix has previously ordered the upcoming comedy series Turn Up Charlie,which he created, will star in, and will executive produce, because he apparently doesn’t need sleep.
It might seem weird to take someone like Idris Elba and have him play a character famous for being hideous, but then again this will be a modern retelling of the story, so who knows what changes will be made? This take on the story seems to make the most sense though:
Idris Elba will star, direct and produce in a modern retelling of Victor Hugo’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame†for @Netflix.
The film is currently untitled but I'm strongly suggesting "Hunchback of Notre DAAAAAMN" pic.twitter.com/8KZ4YBfU8Z
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) May 23, 2018
Are you excited for this new adaptation? Ring the bell of our comments section below with your thoughts.
Images: Warner Bros.
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