‘Gargoyles’ Live-Action Movie In Development With Kenneth Branagh to Direct

After languishing in development hell for years, a live-action Gargoyles film from Disney is reportedly seeing the light of day at last. Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh appears set to direct the project based on the popular 1990s animated series of the same name.

Branagh’s hometown newspaper, The Belfast Telegraph, reported that the multi-hyphenate is set to direct the film, which looks primed to become the latest in Disney’s long line of live-action remakes of its animated offerings. Branagh’s attachment to the director’s chair is currently the only information available, with no writers or potential cast list being announced. It is unclear how far along development is on the project. However, with Hollywood more-or-less at a complete standstill with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in full swing, it is likely that continued work on the Gargoyles adaptation may not come for a while. Branagh was also reported to have joined the picket lines, so he is clearly standing in solidarity with the work stoppage.

The film is likely in good hands with its new director, though, as Branagh has become widely lauded for his work both in front of and behind the camera. Well known for starring in the films he directs, Branagh has helmed a number of recent box office hits, including the Agatha Christie mystery adaptations Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. The next film in that series, A Haunting in Venice, is slated for a September 15, 2023, release from 20th Century. His magnum opus of directing, though, maybe 2021’s Belfast, his semi-autobiographical film that received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. He is also not a stranger to Disney’s live-action remakes, having directed 2015’s Cinderella starring Lily James. In front of the camera, Branagh can next be seen as physicist Niels Bohr in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic Oppenheimer.

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A Live-Action Gargoyles Has Been a Long Time Coming

If Gargoyles eventually gets the green light, it will be the end of a long road to production for the film. The original series, which ran from 1994 to 1997, featured a clan of Gargoyles led by Goliath (Keith David). The clan lives in the Scottish Highlands during the 10th Century but ends up frozen for 1,000 years and transported to Manhattan, where they awaken and are forced to adjust to life in modern-day New York City. The original series also starred Jonathan Frakes, Ed Asner, Salli Richardson, Marina Sirtis, and Bill Faggerbakke.

Gargoyles became a pop-culture hit, and attempts to adapt it into a feature film were underway as early as the late 1990s. The film lingered with trouble adapting its darker subject matter, and development was mostly paused until 2011. At that time, David Elliot and Paul Lovett, the scribes behind G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, were tapped by Disney to pen a new script for the film. However, this attempt also fizzled out. Acclaimed director Jordan Peele had also previously expressed interest in helming a Gargoyles adaptation, but this, too, never came together. Branagh’s attempt appears to be the first significant report that the film may finally awaken from its stone slumber.

No release window for the Gargoyles adaptation has been announced.