For almost 30 years, those with a soft spot for Disney’s classic animated series Gargoyles have been holding out hope for a live-action adaptation, especially in an age where virtually every single one of the Mouse House’s two-dimensional IPs has either gotten the treatment already or is in the process of doing so.
Sadly, it still hasn’t come to pass for reasons that only the studio’s executives can explain, because the prospect of a blockbuster Gothic fantasy tinged with elements of horror and tragedy that possesses the potential to be completely unlike anything to have rolled off the production line so far is mouthwatering to say the least.
It’s been in the works for decades already, with such names as makeup master Rick Baker, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra writers David Elliot and Paul Lovett all taking a crack at Gargoyles at one stage or another, but we’ve still got nothing to show for it.
Internet speculation most recently linked Oscar winner and Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran Kenneth Branagh with the project, but those rumors have been shut down by none other than Gargoyles creator Greg Wesiman himself.
There wasn’t any concrete evidence to back up the scuttlebutt to begin with, and you never know if you’re going to get the Belfast or Artemis Fowl version of Branagh whenever he steps behind the camera, but his Shakespearean sensibilities made sense from a purely artistic and aesthetic point of view.
Keep those fingers crossed that Gargoyles eventually sees the light of day, even if the theoretical director’s chair has been vacated yet again.