Anne Hathaway is returning to Ella Enchanted - but this time as an executive producer. Disney+ is developing a television adaptation of Gail Carson Levine's beloved novel, with Hathaway and Miramax attached to the project.
Hathaway starred in the 2004 film adaptation early in her career, back when she was still primarily known as the girl from The Princess Diaries. The movie was a charming, if uneven, take on the Cinderella retelling about a girl cursed with obedience. It wasn't a massive hit, but it's maintained a cult following among millennials who grew up with it.
Now Disney+ wants to try again, this time with the woman who played Ella overseeing the creative direction. That's smart positioning - Hathaway brings name recognition and nostalgia value, plus she actually understands the source material. Too often, these legacy reboots feel like cash grabs from people who never cared about the original. At least this one has someone invested.
The timing fits Disney+'s broader strategy of mining early 2000s nostalgia. They've already revived Percy Jackson, and there are whispers about other YA properties getting the prestige TV treatment. Ella Enchanted sits in that sweet spot: recognizable enough to have an existing audience, but not so iconic that fans will revolt if changes are made.
The real question is whether a TV format serves the story better than film did. The 2004 movie condensed the novel significantly and added musical numbers that felt oddly out of place. A series could explore the book's fairy tale world more thoroughly and develop side characters that the film rushed past. Or it could be another streaming project that gets quietly canceled after one season. Disney+ has form on both outcomes.
In this business, nobody knows anything - except that Anne Hathaway returning to early career material is either a savvy move or a sign that Hollywood's nostalgia well is running dry. Probably both.
