Oscar Winner Questlove Has His Next Director’s Gig: Disney’s Remake of Aristocats

After winning an Academy Award, you have to assume a person’s career options suddenly become way more vast. No doubt Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson—a hugely successful musician in addition to picking up an Oscar last year for Summer of Soul—already had quite a bit of freedom in picking his next project, but who could have predicted he’d choose… a remake of Disney’s The Aristocats?

Maybe these two cuties?

At any rate, Deadline had the scoop on the news, which calls the film “a live-action/hybrid reimagining” of the 1970 Disney classic “about a family of Parisian felines who learn they are set to inherit a fortune from their owner. When the owner’s jealous butler kidnaps them and leaves them in the country, they must team up with a smooth-talking tomcat to try to make it back home before it’s too late.” It will be the latest in a long line of Disney live-action remakes of its animated favorites, including a much-anticipated take on The Little Mermaid that’ll be out in May.

The script for this reboot is by Will Gluck (Peter Rabbit, Annie) and Keith Bunin (Horns); Questlove will be among its executive producers and, perhaps unsurprisingly, will also be in charge of the film’s music. The original Aristocats features the standout song “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat,” sung by a pre-The Shining Scatman Crothers and others.

What do you think of this news? Are you excited for Questlove’s spin on The Aristocats? What Disney animated film do you think should get the live-action treatment next?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.