Bambi writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet finally spoke up about the Disney remake, and it doesn't sound good. In January 2020, Variety revealed that Bambi was next in line for a live-action remake at Disney, which would employ the same photo-realistic CGI animation used in The Lion King and The Jungle Book. Screenwriters Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer were brought on to write the script, while director Sarah Polley was chosen to helm Bambi for a new generation.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet addressed Bambi's fate in an exclusive interview with The Direct, promoting her work as co-creator on Amazon's Fallout Season 2. Sadly, it wasn't good news for the Disney remake, as the screenwriter revealed she has not heard "a single update" on Bambi in "at least five years," citing her focus on Fallout (which has been renewed for Season 3) as a factor:
The Direct: “You were reportedly attached to write the Bambi movie. However, earlier this year, some outlets were kind of reporting that the project was basically dead in the water as of January. So I just wanted to ask you directly, what is the status of that project, and can you offer anything in that realm?”
Robertson-Dworet: “You know, it's so funny. 'Fallout' is such an intensely full time job, like no joke… I have not found out in at least five years a single update on the 'Bambi' movie. So I have been off it since I started on 'Fallout,' and have not even kind of checked in, to be totally honest with you, that's true."
Robertson-Dworet made it clear that she is "always rooting for a Bambi movie," but her commitments to Fallout have kept her away from the project:
"I'm sad to say, I'm not the right person. I'm always rooting for a Bambi movie… My attention is so fully taken up by this that I'm just behind at the time of what's going on on Bambi.”
The news follows unverified reporting from The Disinsider that Bambi had been canned by the studio after Polley left the project over a year ago.
Updates on Bambi have been scarce, with Beer having reportedly turned in a draft to Disney in 2022, according to Deadline. Once it was reported that Polley had exited the modern reimagining of the 1942 classic, many pondered whether Bambi would go the way of the many other cancelled Disney remakes.
Lindsey Beer confirmed to Collider in September 2023 that she had walked away from Bambi to focus on Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, seemingly leaving the remake without a director or screenwriters. The combination of creative departures and lack of updates will only further fears that Bambi has simply been cancelled.
However, Disney is moving forward with more live-action remakes despite last year's box office disaster with Snow White. Next up, Moana will sail the seas in theaters once again on July 10, while Tangled is set to start filming shortly, with Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim, and Kathryn Hahn signed on to star.
Bambi's Other Live-Action Writer Teased 'Updates' to the Story
As part of her September 2023 interview with Collider, Lindsey Beer touched on the plans for Disney's live-action Bambi remake. But first, she noted that there is "an entire generation of children who have never seen the original:"
"What’s interesting about Bambi to me is it absolutely is a classic and it’s a beautiful love poem, such artistry to it. I do think there’s an entire generation of children who have never seen the original and that’s very different from, say 'Little Mermaid' or 'Aladdin' or the ‘90s heyday films that they’ve definitely already seen. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve seen who’ve never seen Bambi, which is such a shame."
The former Bambi writer cited the movie's famous tragedy in which the young deer's mother was killed by an unseen hunter. She suggested that parents and children may be "more sensitive" about those more tragic plot points than they were in the past, perhaps explaining Bambi's reduced popularity today:
"Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past. And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children."
Beer said there might be a way to "update" Bambi's deeper themes for the new generation, so they "maybe they relate to a little bit more." The extent of these intended changes to Bambi in Beer's draft is unclear, including whether the all-important mother deer's death remained intact:
"I do think there is a way to update Bambi, and our take on it was… did give a little bit more of a scope to it. And I just think that to be able to bring it to life for kids these days in a way that maybe they relate to a little bit more would be of service to the original."
It should be noted that the upcoming Tangled was reportedly cancelled at one point but now has a signed cast and will shoot this year, likely for a 2027 release. As such, even though Bambi appears to be stagnant for now, that doesn't mean it couldn't be resurrected in the future, presumably under new writers and directors.
