The beloved children's classic Winnie The Pooh introduced us to the imaginary world of Christopher Robin, Pooh Bear and the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood gang. But now, with their Christopher Robin project, Disney's bringing the young boy out of the woods and into live action as an adult in the form of Ewan McGregor. And now we've found out that Christopher has a wife in this new film, and she'll be played by Hayley Atwell, known by many as Marvel heroine Peggy Carter.
Atwell's announcement only further intrigues us about this project, as Christopher Robin's story apparently sees our protagonist all grown up and without his keen sense of imagination. So think of it as Winnie The Pooh meets Hook, with Winnie The Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and company as the Lost Boys intent on giving Christopher Robin back his joyful spark. Though considering there's bound to be antics that see McGregor's Christopher Robin getting into some interesting hijinks, it's nice to know he'll have someone as no-nonsense as Hayley Atwell keeping him in line.
Of course, this announcement from Variety is pretty coincidental, as Hayley Atwell was also spotted in the offices of Marvel Studios recently. So depending on how closely the Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios offices are located to each other in Burbank, there's a chance that the Marvel stop was more of a friendly hello during meetings for Christopher Robin. Considering Disney's recent history, as well as her winning track record with Marvel Studios, Atwell's decision to stay in the family looks to be a huge asset in her career.
Disney's been on a spree with live-action projects themed after their animated catalog, and rather than go the straight adaptation route like Beauty and The Beast or The Lion King, Christopher Robin is looking to branch into something new with a pre-existing property. While Beauty has been a hell of a hit for Disney's bottom line this year, its one for one ratio remake was a bit safer than some of their previous efforts, like Maleficent or The Jungle Book. Though that fact right there probably tells us the reason why Disney is going with the newer spin on the classic tale.
Beauty and the Beast is a more recent film that has its audience built in because of the childhood factor, while older films like Sleeping Beauty and The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh are not as frequently watched with children past a certain era. So rather than retell a classic tale, Disney now has a chance to bring the classic into a more modern context, while retaining what everyone loved about Christopher Robin's adventures. With that modern context comes a chance to invent new characters that didn't exist in the more traditional era of Disney's motion picture apparatus. We're hoping that with Hayley Atwell's reputation in tow, this new character announced will serve as more than just a doting female figure, and in a capacity that lets her be a part of the adventure.
Christopher Robin doesn't have a release date yet, but if you're interested in learning the story behind A.A. Milne's creation of his character, you can see Goodbye Christopher Robin, which hits theaters on October 13.
