DISNEY TAPS JON TURTELTAUB TO DIRECT ‘IT’S A SMALL WORLD’ FEATURE FILM

Appropriate considering today is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the It’s A Small World attraction that has been such a staple of the Disney theme parks, the movie studio has hired Jon Turteltaub to direct a feature based on the venerable family film ride with theJon Turteltaub catchy tune. Jared Stern pitched Small World and will write the script. He, Turteltaub and The Lego Movie‘s Dan Lin will be the producers. This one will take awhile to come together but it is envisioned as a potential franchise for the studio. Turteltaub is coming off the CBS Films hit comedy Last Vegas, a movie that has grossed $134 million worldwide.

For Disney, Turteltaub directed the first two installments of National Treasure and is working on a third with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Stern is repped by WME, managers Marc Provissiero and Helena Heyman and attorney Karl Austen, while Turteltaub is repped by WME, managed by David Lonner at Oasis and lawyered by Steve Warren.