According to Deadline, Ashley Avis (Deserted, The Trouble with Mistletoe) has signed on to write and direct a modern reimagining of Anna Sewell’s classic 1877 novel Black Beauty for Bolt Pictures and Constantin Film.
The new movie will tell the story of Jo Green, “a teenager who recently lost her parents, who is sent to live with her uncle at a horse and animal sanctuary on Long Island. She eventually bonds with the wild Black Beauty, who was similarly taken away from her family when her mustang herd was captured in the West.”
Avis is currently in post-production on her latest feature, Adolescence, which stars India Eisley, Mickey River, Romeo Miller and Tommy Flanagan, and is expected to arrive later in the year.
Black Beauty has been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions, most recently in 1994 with Caroline Thompson directing a cast that included Sean Bean, David Thewlis, Andrew Knott and Alan Cumming.