Producer Juliet Blake (The Hundred-Foot Journey) has acquired the feature rights to Hansel and Gretel, the upcoming graphic novel authored by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti. The plan is to make a live-action Hansel and Gretel movie that I suspect will be a shade more faithful to the Brothers Grimm fairy tale than last year's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Gaiman remarked to Variety:
“For me, retelling Hansel and Gretel was a way of telling an old tale in a way that made it immediate and true, and about us, now. It reminds us of how paper thin civilization really is. It’s about hunger, and about families. . . I’m thrilled and delighted to be working with Juliet Blake to bring Hansel and Gretel to the world again, and to show people how much this story has to say to us."
Hit the jump for the official graphic novel synopsis.
This all happened a long time ago, in your grandmother's time, or in her grandfather's. A long time ago. Back then, we all lived on the edge of the great forest.
Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti both remember the horror and fascination with which they read the Grimm Brothers' "Hansel and Gretel." The writer and the artist now join forces for a brilliant reimagining of one of humanity's most enduring tales. Be brave, be bold, and keep your wits about you--Gaiman and Mattotti are welcoming you into the woods. [Toon Books]
The graphic novel is available October 28. Here are a few of Mattotti's illustrations:
