Your childhood is being brought to the big screen once again, as an adaptation of The Paper Bag Princess is now in the works.
The Paper Bag Princess, Robert Munsch’s classic story about Princess Elizabeth and her encounter with a dragon delaying her wedding to Prince Ronald has been praised for its strong female characters and subversion of fairy tale tropes, reversing the usual depiction of the princess and the dragon. Currently, both Elizabeth Banks and Margot Robbie are signed on to produce, with the Banks also sitting in the director’s chair. Robbie may also act in the film as the titular princess, but this “will depend on several factors, including the script and scheduling.” In more behind the scenes news, Katie Silberman will be writing the screenplay, and Alison Small will be executive producer.
Published in 1980, The Paper Bag Princess has since been reprinted 90 times and has sold over 10 million copies. An adaptation of this classic continues Bank’s goal to create films featuring well rounded female characters, with past movies including Pitch Perfect 2, and an upcoming Charlie’s Angels adaptation. She has also recently partnered with YouTube in hopes of creating more female-fronted comedy, and has some TV shows in the works, including Step Strangers on Fox and Spirited on ABC. Robbie, who is perhaps now most famous for her portrayal of DC fan-favorite Harley Quinn, is also no stranger to iconic female characters. Her latest film is I, Tonya, in which she plays ice skater Tonya Harding. She also produced this film, which has already garnered award buzz though it isn’t scheduled for release until December 8th.
No word yet on when the film will actually be in theaters, but hopefully this adaptation of a classic modern fairy tale will be just as beloved as the source material!
