THE NUTCRACKER, Now With Explosions

Darren Lemke, writer of the upcoming Shrek Forever After and Jack the Giant Killer, has a new action-adventure fairytale adaptation in the works: The Nutracker. Yes, based on the ballet. According to Heat Vision, New Line has picked up the project, which is being produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Entertainment (New Moon, the upcoming adaptation of the popular video game Gears of War).

For those not up on their ballet, The Nutcracker follows a 12-year-old girl who receives a nutcracker doll as a gift from her godfather on Christmas Eve. But as the night wears on, the doll comes to life and becomes involved in a war against a Mouse King with seven heads. This won’t be the first time the story’s been turned into a film, but perhaps the first time on this large a scale. It’s unknown as of now exactly what form the adaptation will take–live action or animated.