Disney is going to make a modern retelling of "Oliver Twist". Tony-award winning director of "Hamilton" will be at the helm of the upcoming film. Ice Cube will write, produce and star in this modern "Oliver Twist".
Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" is one of the author's famous novels. It tells of an orphan boy who gets exploited and is taken under the wing of the leader of a gang of London pickpockets. The orphan boy endures hardship, becomes accessory to murder and uncovers the secret of his birth.
"Oliver Twist" has been adapted as an animated film, a stage musical and an Oscar-winning film. The music of "Oliver Twist" has made the most impact in pop culture. Tony-award winning director of "Hamilton" Thomas Kail is set to direct.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the modern retelling of "Oliver Twist" will be a musical with different music genres like hip hop crossing each other in the film. It will also feature a racially diverse cast.
Basically, it's like the modern retelling of "Annie" starring Jaime Foxx. Although the film flopped and was mocked, it had the right idea of setting the beloved story of "Annie" in modern times.
The underlying conflict and themes of classic works like "Annie" and "Oliver Twist" are still applicable in modern times. The settings might have changed but there are still children like Annie and Oliver Twist who suffer hardships in life.
Ice Cube will also be in another modern retelling of another Charles Dickens' work, "A Christmas Carol". Ice Cube is set to play the titular character Ebenezer Scrooge in "Humbug".
Before Ice Cube fully immerses himself in Dickens' world, you can catch the N.W.A rapper in the upcoming film, "Fist Fight", co-starring Charlie Day out in 2017.
What's your take on all these modern retellings of classics like "Oliver Twist"? Do you think Ice Cube and Thomas Kail can give justice to their version of "Oliver Twist" or will it flop like "Annie"? Sound off your comments below!
