Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the filmmaker behind the upcoming horror film “Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey,” has set his sights on another childhood classic – a film already considered one of the darkest for children.
Just like with Winnie The Pooh, the original “Bambi” source material – the 1923 Austrian novel “Bambi, a Life in the Woods” – has entered the public domain. It can now be used in various ways beyond their creator’s original intent.
Cue a horror film reimagining titled “Bambi: The Reckoning” which Frake-Waterfield will executive produce and Scott Jeffrey (“The Curse of Humpty Dumpty,” “The Bad Nun”) will direct. Speaking with Dread Central, Jeffrey promises a quite different take on the classic tale:
“The film will be an incredibly dark retelling of the story we all know and love. Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix’s The Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness. Prepare for Bambi on rabies!”
The 1942 Disney animated adaptation is considered one of the Mouse House’s most iconic classics. It’s also the only film that filmmaker Quentin Tarantino recently admitted (via The Express) that he wishes he had not seen as a youngster was “Bambi” as he “asked to leave the theatre after Bambi’s mother was shot and the forest fire began”.
Jeffrey is not permitted to use any of the specific elements of the story or film created by Disney, and which remain the copyright of Disney, so don’t expect the creature to resemble the Bambi of the cartoon.
Frake-Waterfield recently announced that he is also developing a dark take on Peter Pan titled “Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare”.
