The cast is shaping up for Gary J. Tunnicliffe's family-friendly adaptation of the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk." The Hollywood Reporter says that Katey Sagal, Wallace Shawn, Gilbert Gottfried, Chevy Chase and Christopher Lloyd have all signed onto the flick, which is a low-budget charmer being produced by Avalon Family Films.  James Earl Jones is in negotiations to voice the Giant.  Sagal (whose Futurama gig is seeing a revival these days) plays Jack's mother.  Shawn is the shady merchant who trades him the beans for the cow.  Gottfried (in a role once again underlying the problems Hollywood has with basic biology) voices the Goose That Lays The Golden Eggs.  Chase has a cameo as the man who keeps the labyrinth Jack has to traverse before he gets to his destination.  Lloyd plays the stern headmaster at Jack's school, which is also attended by other fairy-tale luminaries such as Rapunzel and Prince Charming.  Jack is played by Colin Ford.

The script was penned by Cindy Marcus and Flip Kobler, who said, "There are winks and bods to pop culture and other fairy tales that adults will also enjoy."

Over in more typical fairy tale land, Disney has two new flicks on the plate.  "Pet Robots" is based on Scott Christian Sava's forthcoming graphic novel about four children who get lost on a field trip and wind up with four little lost robots that follow them home.  It's unknown right now if the project will be live-action with CGI or animated.

Sava said, "I love to create all-ages stories.  I have two little boys and I try to write stories for them and for others like them. It's such a great compliment when readers and reviewers tell me that their kids love the books as well. It makes all the hard work worth it."

The Mouse's other big project is tentatively called "Snow White and the Seven."  A young British girl raised in 19th century Hong Kong discovers her destiny is to conquer an evil force, a battle for which she must be trained by seven Shaolin monks.

There is a chance it will be better than it sounds.

(Additional source: Variety)