Disney Developing Live-Action 'Dumbo' Movie

By Marc Graser

Disney is developing a live action Dumbo, based on the animated classic of 1941.

Transformers: Age of Extinction scribe Ehren Kruger is writing the script that will build a family tale around the circus elephant who is ridiculed for his enormous ears and learns to fly through the help of his only true friend, a mouse.

The toon was Disney’s fourth animated film after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia. It’s also one of Disney’s shortest animated film at 64 minutes.

Dumbo becomes the latest animated film that Disney is looking to bring to the big screen in live action form, after scoring with Alice in Wonderland. Maleficent is a spinoff of Sleeping Beauty.

Disney releases Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella in March, while Jon Favreau is helming The Jungle Book and Bill Condon has Beauty and the Beast in the works.

Kruger, who co-wrote the previous two Transformers films with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, will produce Dumbo with Justin Springer (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion).

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

Related stories

StarWars.com Relaunches as Disney Grows ‘Star Wars’ Franchise

Disney Picks 11 Tech and Media Firms for Startup-Accelerator Program

'Star Wars: Episode VII' Adds 2 Cast Members

Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter