Cinderella Stories

Apparently, in addition to the 10 million Snow White projects under development, we’re also getting a new Cinderella movie. I have absolutely no hope that this will happen, but it would be pretty awesome if the writers considered the example of Ever After. Not only does it do a good job of thinking about fairy-tale settings — there’s Leonardo Da Vinci and sharply drawn class distinctions — but it’s an awesome story about protagonists who fall in love because they have shared political interests. I don’t actually mind a lot of fairy-tale tropes, be they deserving poor girls or rewarded morality, but love at first sight is silly and not that interesting. Even if they can’t pull off political consciousness, I’d settle for a story where Cinderella and the prince actually get to know each other, or where love at first sight doesn’t work out.