Deadline is reporting that Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson has been tapped to take the helm of Disney's live-action hybrid reimagining of The Aristocats.
After helping to found the iconic Philadelphia hip-hop band, The Roots, the six-time Grammy winner made the jump to filmmaking with his Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul. That told the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural festival, and received a number of accolades, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.
The Aristocats will serve as his feature film directing debut and, as well as directing, he'll also executive produce and oversee the music.
Will Gluck and Keith Bunin penned the screenplay, while Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman also produce.
The Disney animated classic took four years to make (which was released in 1970) and follows an eccentric millionairess who decides to leave her money to her cat, Duchess.
When her sneaky butler, Edgar, decides to dispose of the furry obstacle and claim the loot for himself, the embattled Duchess is helped out by streetwise alley cat Thomas O'Malley and his scat cat friends - a group of feline jazz musicians.
We're definitely excited to see this one take shape and know from past experience that Disney has mastered bringing animals to life through realistic-looking VFX (The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp are proof of that). At this stage, there's obviously no word on the cast.
We also don't have a release date for the movie as it's still very early days for this remake. However, now a director is attached, we're sure The Aristocats will quickly become a top priority for Disney.
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