David Farnor | On 02, Nov 2019

If Netflix has proven anything in the past couple of years, it’s that a little bit of Christmas can go a long way: as well as the unlikely gem that is The Christmas Chronicles and such Hallmark-esquire improbable as Rob Lowe-plus-elephants rom-com Holiday in the Wild, the streaming giant has even built its own festive franchise around A Royal Christmas. Any streaming rival wanting to compete, then, needs a bit of seasonal magic on their side.

Enter Disney+, which has already got a Christmas project lined up before it has even launched. The House of Mouse’s subscription platform, which goes live in the US on 12th November and in the UK in spring 2020, is currently developing a musical based on A Christmas Carol.

Charles Dickens’ festival fable is one of the most adapted books for the screen, including Disney’s own 2009 mo-cap version directed by Robert Zemeckis with Jim Carrey as Scrooge (pictured). Apple, too, recently snapped up the rights to another musical adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.

Bill Condon is the big name backing Disney’s take. The Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters writer is no stranger to musical, having directed Chicago, Dreamgirls and Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake. He’s teaming up with Oscar-winning songwriter Stephen Schwartz (The Prince of Egypt) for the film, which will tell the story from the perspective of Scrooge’s old partner, Jacob Marley, who is dead before the story typically begins and visits him as the second of three spirits.

Dan Jinks and Greg Yolen are on board as producers.

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