Matilda's Oona Laurence to star in the new PETE'S DRAGON

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 1:32pm

Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence are set to star in Disney’s remake of “Pete’s Dragon.”

David Lowery is set to direct from a script he wrote with Toby Halbrooks.

The story is a reinvention of the 1977 film that revolves around Pete and his best friend Elliot, who happens to be dragon. The first pic was a musical, but sources say this will be a straight narrative.

The pic will also live-action with CGI elements for the dragon.

Jim Whitaker is producing.

Laurence will be a newly created character named Natalie, another of Pete’s friends. She received a Tony for her work in Broadway’s “Matilda.”

This news only adds to the good month Fegley is having. He can currently be seen as young Eli Thompson on the final season of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and also portrays the younger version of Jason Bateman’s character in Warner Bros. “This is Where I Leave You.”

He was also seen in the indie “Fort Bliss,” opposite Ron Livingston and Michelle Monaghan, which opened in April. He is repped by Ann Wright Representatives Agency, Wright Entertainment and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

She was one of my favorite Matildas! So proud of her
Source

[Mrtrobz]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 2:48pm

Will she be playing a boy or a girl named Pete?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 3:11pm

^A new character: Pete's best friend named Natalie

[Mrtrobz]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 3:32pm

I didn't read the article through. My bad haha!

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 3:41pm

What!? So random. Wasn't the point of the original that Pete had only one friend - the dragon?? Is this new character a friend from when he was an orphan or someone he meets in the town?

Also, the dragon is going to be CGI!? It should be traditionally animated. I wonder if they would try to give it a more cartoony style like their animated features as opposed to the "realistic" style they usually use when blending live action and CGI (like Maleficent and Oz The Great & Powerful). That would be interesting to see.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:01pm

Someone please get the original to Broadway before this **** replaces it in the public memory.

[Broadwaydreaming]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 11:09pm

Yeah... don't love the change, but happy for Oona. She's very talented and has a wide variety of facial expressions. Out of the original Matildas, she stuck out the most compared to Bailey and Sophia.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/23/14 at 3:35am

Just as an additional note, Oona has a role in next week's (October 29th) Law and Order SVU. I just saw her in the preview...

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 10/23/14 at 8:17am

We don't need a remake of "Pete's Dragon." The original is perfect as it is.