Women Talking director Sarah Polley to helm live-action Bambi for Disney

Sarah Polley is set to direct a live-action adaptation of Disney's Bambi.

According to Deadline, the musical feature will include original music from country star Kacey Musgraves. Polley will direct from a screenplay penned by Micah Fitzerman-Blue (Maleficent) and Noah Harpster (Transparent).

Bambi, the (rather depressing) story of a white-tailed deer and his forest pals, was released back in 1942 and received three Academy Award nominations. The film, directed by David Hand and a team of sequence directors, grossed a total of $267.4 million against a budget of just $860,000, and was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."

A photo-realistic computer-animated adaptation, a la The Lion King, was announced back in 2020, though the Polley-directed feature is being reported as 'live-action.'

Polley took home the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking, which was also nominated for Best Picture. Based on the best-selling novel by Miriam Toews and adapted and directed by Polley, the film takes place in 2010 and sees the women of an isolated religious community struggle to reconcile with their faith following a series of sexual assaults. 

Polley began her career as a child actress in 1985, retiring from acting in order to pursue writing and directing in 2010. Her other directorial features include Away from Her (Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay), Take This Waltz, and Stories We Tell.

Bambi does not yet have a release date, but we're already crying in anticipation of seeing that tragic scene on the big screen. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond.