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Credit: Inside the MagicThere’s been a certain stigma surrounding Disney’s live-action remakes with many of them being lukewarm at best and detestable at worst. However, one place Disney has rarely dropped the ball is adapting its villains to the big screen, and that can certainly be said of the proposed Hunchback of Notre Dame remake.
Disney’s live-action villains have normally lived up to their animated counterparts on multiple occasions. Glenn Close as Cruella DeVil, Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, and Idris Elba as Sher Khan are some of the most stunning performances in Disney’s newer adaptations, but a recent development has garnered some massive attention from fans.
Disney Goes Full Dark
When it comes to Disney’s Villains, fans have debated the best of the worst for decades. Although many will be quick to cite Maleficent as the face of the franchise, there are few Disney characters who go as hard as Judge Claude Frollo.
Related: Fans Astounded at Live-Action ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Cast, “They’re Gonna Ruin It”
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and there is no better representation of that maxim than the sinister minister of justice in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Abuse of office, murder, wrongful imprisonment, attempted genocide, and insurrection are just a few of the crimes committed by Frollo in the original animated film, making him Disney’s most realistic and most frightening villain to date. Casting him for a live-action adaptation requires the utmost care and attention, but a contender might have just been found.
Doctor Who?
The proposed dream cast for The Hunchback of Notre Dame came with an all-star cast bringing the animated characters to life. While Josh Gad is certainly our first choice to portray Quasimodo for the big screen, the supposed pick for Frollo is certainly strange, but not unwarranted.
Known for portraying the 12th regeneration of the Doctor on Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi is slated to step out of the Tardis and into the robes of Claude Frollo. While this is certainly an unexpected choice, it’s not without merit. Capaldi has undertaken many intense roles before his tenure as the Doctor, and his appearance and demeanor certainly have him in the running for the part.
Doing Frollo Justice
If the supposed adaptation is to be accurate, it must be a musical. That means that whomever is cast as Frollo needs to be able to not just sing “Hellfire” but sing it perfectly. Capaldi has proven to have musical talent , but repeating the performance of the late Tony Jay is an impossible feat.
He might be able to ACT the part, but that won’t help him much if he can’t also nail one of the most powerful Disney villain songs in the studio’s repertoire. Needless to say, Capaldi or whomever truly undertakes the role has huge shoes to fill.
Who would you cast as Frollo in a live-action Hunchback remake? Tell us at Inside the Magic in the comments below!