Fans of Disney’s meta-musical comedy Enchanted have been pining over the idea of a sequel. Certainly, the film was a big enough hit with critics and audiences for the studio to entertain the idea of doing another one. Now, nine years after the original’s release in 2007, Disney has announced a sequel, which will now be called Disenchanted, and Adam Shankman, who has directed musical adaptations of Rock Of Ages and Hairspray, is in talks to direct the sequel, which is getting a spiffy new title. More on the story below.

THR, who was the first to break the news, says the studio hopes to start rolling cameras by summer 2017. But the trade stopped short of confirming that Shankman would direct. Amy Adams, who played Princess Giselle in the first film, is expected to return.

In Enchanted, an evil sorceress banishes Princess Giselle from her happy life in her animated world and thrusts her into a modern day live-action New York City. A fish out of water, Giselle adjusts to her new life in the real world from her new friend, a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey). Idina Menzel and Susan Sarandon also starred.

Part of the film’s success was that it wasn’t afraid to be self-deprecating or poke fun at the generic fairy tale tropes with Disney-friendly humor. A hit with audiences and critics, the Enchanted went on to gross $340 million worldwide. While progress on the sequel has been slow going, now that the studio finally has a director and an ideal start date, we can expect to hear more casting news in the near future.

Having directed big screen adaptations of Hairspray and Rock Of Ages, Shankman seems like the right man for the job to follow up the hit film. He’s also directed family-friendly comedies like Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier, and Bedtime Stories.

According to the report, the sequel will not be titled Enchanted 2, instead, the film will go by the title Disenchanted. Set 10 years after the first movie,Disenchanted finds Giselle “questioning her happily ever after, and accidentally triggering events that make everyone’s lives turn upside down in both the real world and in the animated kingdom of Andalasia.”

It’s not clear if Enchanted songwriter Alan Menken will return for Disenchanted. He along with lyricist Stephen Schwartz were nominated for three Academy Awards, all for Best Original Song.

The report did not say when the new film could be released, but there are a couple of key dates that Disney has already locked down. So you can place your bets on which date they will take.

[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]