Is it possible that Disney's beloved cult classic animated series Gargoyles is coming to the big screen? Rumors continue to swirl that an Oscar-winning writer-director might be bringing it to live-action, but can it actually be happening?
Premiering in 1994, Gargoyles was a much darker series than most of the Disney animated fare of the time. It began in 994 A.D. as the titular creatures are demon-like figures by night who transform into stone statues by day. They had protected a Viking castle only for it to be overrun. A magic spell caused a pack of these Gargoyles to be stone forever until "the castle rose above the clouds."
Cut to a thousand years later as powerful billionaire David Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes) buys the castle and puts it on his New York skyscraper, thus breaking the spell. Adjusting to the modern age, the Gargoyles realize Xanatos has his own sinister plans and break free of him. Aided by police woman Eliza Maza, the Gargoyles fight for justice on their own terms.
The series was notable for its mature tones and deep storylines with a fantastic art style. It ended after three seasons and 78 episodes, although it continued on in various comic book forms.
Is there a Gargoyles movie coming?
For years, rumors have swirled about a live-action Gargoyles project. At one point, legendary FX master Stan Winston did some preliminary work on it, but the project never got off the ground. Last week, reports circulated from The Belfast Telegraph that Oscar-winner Kenneth Branagh would be directing a movie version.
With a career that includes directing everything from Shakespeare to Thor to Agatha Christie, Branagh has the chops for this fantasy project, even if there was no word on a script. Any movie would likely be delayed anyway due to the ongoing Writers Guild and SAG strikes paralyzing Hollywood.
However, when a fan on Twitter asked series creator Greg Weisman about it, Weisman replied, "I'm thinking... that it's flat-out not true." One would think Weisman would be in the know on anything regarding the series, so it seems this isn't actually happening.
It's possible someone mentioned Gargoyles was a rumored idea, and somehow Branagh's name got attached to it. Neither Disney nor Branagh have spoken to confirm or deny the reports. So, for the moment, it appears fans got excited for nothing as the heroic creatures won't see the light of day for a while.