The prequel film “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” is set to be released directly on Paramount+ next Friday, the movie serving as the directorial debut of Lindsey Anderson Beer.
Beer wrote 2018’s “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” and worked in the writer’s room on the “Transformers” and “Godzilla vs. Kong” franchises.
More famously she has seen her name attached to a whole bunch of projects in development over the years, including a fourth “Star Trek” film, adaptations of “The Kingkiller Chronicle” novel and “Empress” comic, a “Short Circuit” remake, a live-action take on “M.A.S.K.,” and a Spider-Man Silver Sable spin-off.
One of the most famous projects her name has been linked to though is the new adaptation of the animated Disney classic “Bambi” about a young deer coming of age.
The original 1942 film remains widely known to this day, mostly due to its darkest sequence in which Bambi’s mother is killed (off-screen). Even so, many younger generations who are aware of the film have never seen it.
Speaking with Collider, Beer says she knows this adaptation isn’t comparable to “The Little Mermaid” or “Aladdin” where many children (and adults) have grown up with those films on repeat, and she understands why:
“Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past. And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children.”
What she aims to offer with her live-action take is an ‘updated’ version that will work better with modern sensibilities whilst still respecting the original’s uniqueness:
“The thing is, [Bambi] is such a gorgeous film. It’s a little bit different tempo than I think modern audiences are used to…
I do think there is a way to update Bambi and our take on it was… did give a little bit more of a scope to it. And I just think that to be able to bring it to life for kids these days in a way that maybe they relate to a little bit more would be of service to the original.”
Sarah Polley is set to direct the new take on “Bambi” which boasts musical numbers from Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves.
Beer is reportedly next looking to direct a new adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and she’ll produce Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming new take on “Lord of the Flies”.
