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Exclusive: Gary Ross to Direct a Remake of The Phantom Tollbooth

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (18)

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Gary Ross is a director whose name gets associated with a lot more projects than he’s actually directed — for such an supposedly in-demand director, he’s not exactly prolific. He’s helmed exactly two movies since 1998 — Pleasantville and Seabiscuit, but his name has nevertheless been attached to the Venom spin-off, and he was behind a rewrite for the now-dead Sam Raimi/Toby Maguire version of Spider-Man 4.

In addition to Matt Helm and Tokyo Suckerpunch (among others), you can add this one to the list of movies that Gary Ross is currently developing: The Phantom Tollbooth, a remake of the 1970 Chuck Jones animated feature based on the children’s book by Norman Juster.

Ross is producing a hybrid live-action/animated fantasy remake with Warner Brothers and his own shingle, Larger than Life Productions, as a project he plans to direct. Alex Tse (Watchmen) wrote the first draft of the script, but Warner and Ross are currently looking for another take on the script before it moves ahead.

The Phantom Tollbooth follows a young boy who finds a magical tollbooth that transports him to the enchanting Kingdom of Wisdom, which he must save by rescuing a pair of princesses from a dark power that threatens their destruction.

Ross most recently scripted the remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon for Carl Rinsch, and is currently putting together The Crusaders with Tobey Maguire and the Civil War drama, The Free State of Jones, which he’s set to write and direct.

(Source: The Hollywood Cog)









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Comments

The Phantom Tollbooth follows a young boy who finds a magical tollbooth that transports him to the enchanting Kingdom of Wisdom, which he must save by rescuing a pair of princesses from a dark power that threatens their destruction.

For real? Man, I really need to read that book again, because all I remember is the part about not knowing where you're going, so whichever direction you head in is the right one.

Posted by: SaBrina (aka Dropout) at February 17, 2010 9:45 PM

You know what the Phantom Tollbooth REALLY needs? It needs a stoner reading it in a series of YouTube videos. Yeah...that would be great...

HOLY SHIT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC23uTMZoHI

Posted by: superasente at February 17, 2010 9:46 PM

I first had The Phantom Tollbooth read aloud to me when I was 4. It was one of the first books I read by myself. I reread it about once a year. I brought it to college with me. I fucking love that book.
For years, my measure of whether or not I'm dreaming hasn't been pinching myself. It's been thinking, "They're making a movie of The Phantom Tollbooth." Usually I go "AAAAAAAAH No they ain't, bitch!" and then I realize I'm awake. So clearly, I'm dreaming now.
Someone tell me I'm dreaming! Maybe I'm naked in High School?

This had better be a cruel, cruel, joke, Dustin. I swear, if this is real, I will cut a bitch. I will Human Centipede your asses. Fuck.

Posted by: esme at February 17, 2010 10:12 PM

I remember getting assigned that book in the 1st grade - I was part one of the "advanced" readers in my class, so naturally I felt super 1337 with my mad skilz after reading this book. I loved it then and I love it now. Haven't read it in a few years and now I must!!

Posted by: eden at February 17, 2010 10:15 PM

"Rescue Rhyme and Reason!"
OK, I will suspend judgment and cries of childhood-raping until I see where this is going. But I'M WATCHING YOU Gary Ross! Don't fuck it up, Mmk?

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at February 17, 2010 10:50 PM

Possibly the best childrens book ever.

I feel like if they really try to do a decent job with this, it could be a good movie. But I would definitely picture someone like Tim Burton adapting this...

Posted by: gee. ay. at February 17, 2010 10:50 PM

I was actually excited when I saw this, I loved that book and I've always been confused why it wasn't being adapted into a movie (since um, everything else is. Like fucking toy blocks.) Now I'll need to re-read it!

Another book that might possibly make an amazing movie if it actually had a budget and a decent director? Wrinkle In Time.

Posted by: Lindsay at February 17, 2010 11:30 PM

So what is the current opinion on the Chuck Jones version? I remember it fondly but I also remember it only being moderately true to the book (at one point I remember a kid who was only half there and walked in midair, I'm sure it meant something but it mostly freaked me out as a kid. That was definitely not in the movie).

I also remember the movie starts and ends as live-action and only the middle (after he goes through the tollbooth) is animated. That was a good scene too, with him driving back and forth through the tollbooth sticking one leg out into the animated side and then waving a hand on the live-action side.

Wait, can't they just re-release the Chuck Jones version? It was basically awesome.

Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at February 18, 2010 12:02 AM

The Phantom Tollbooth was an awesome book but it seems unlikely that it would work as a movie. Like everything else that I enjoyed as a child I just know that it'd be ruined, thereby making my only recourse pretending that the film didn't exist.

That said, I absolutely love Pleasantville, so I'm not quite sure what that adds up to.

Posted by: Ruby at February 18, 2010 12:21 AM

Oh man, I FORGOT ABOUT THIS BOOK! I loved it so very, very much and it fell completely out of my head! Stupid drug-addled teen years! Must go find and re-read immediately!

Posted by: Katers at February 18, 2010 9:20 AM

Holy bile jockeys, I have loved that book for AGES. I break it out every so often for a re-read, and find something new every time.

As for a movie version.... I'm curious to see how they do it, but I'm also sad that they'll miss a lot of the little puns sprinkled through the book like juice from an E.

Posted by: jeem at February 18, 2010 10:03 AM

I haven't read The Phantom Tollbooth in probably 25 years. Maybe more. I hate that I can say that about anything.

Anyway, I adored it when I was young. And, amzingly, I never had any idea that there was a Chuck Jones feature. I suppose I should read it again, seeing as I recall very little of it other than the title, "The Doldrums" and something about a dodecahedron.

Posted by: lubeg at February 18, 2010 1:01 PM

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Be good to me, Gary Ross; be good to me.

Posted by: Jelinas at February 18, 2010 2:33 PM

yo waz up

Posted by: Jo at February 18, 2010 3:34 PM

Once again, the old gal chimes in:

The Phantom Tollbooth illustrations by Jules Feiffer are classic, and it's hard for those who read the book with them to adjust to other perspectives.

And what makes it hard to film is that many of the quirks come across only in print. How do you convey a homonym in a movie?

Posted by: Louise at February 18, 2010 10:57 PM

I just finished watching the 70's version 5 minits ago. I cannot wait for this to come out! And i agree on the stoner readings! hahahha

Posted by: IJHA at March 9, 2010 9:56 AM

I do not believe I've seen this said in such a way before. You really have clarified this for me. Thank you!

Posted by: Blair Sipp at December 14, 2010 11:02 PM

The movie is absolutely amazing. I am really intrigued how Ross is going to follow a Chuck Jones film. If you have never seen the movie, I recommend you watching it. It is dated from the 70's but is still a classic in my book.

Posted by: barbie at January 23, 2011 10:01 PM