Disney pumps the brakes on Mouse Guard movie two weeks before production

Much is still unknown about what will happen to many of the movies Disney acquired from the big Fox merger, which became formalized in March, but the latest update on Fox’s Mouse Guard movie from director Wes Ball has many questioning whether we’ve found one of the first official casualties.

Two weeks before the motion-capture movie with actors Idris Elba and Andy Serkis was scheduled to go into production, Disney halted Mouse Guard with the rights reverting back to the producers, EW has learned.

An adaptation of the David Petersen Eisner-winning comic series, the project was pegged as “Game of Thrones with mice.” The story follows a group of mice in medieval times sworn to defend their fellow rodents against harsh conditions and a host of predators. Sonoya Mizuno of Crazy Rich Asians was set as the title character, while the cast also included The Maze Runner‘s Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

The decision to drop the title came unexpectedly and those involved still don’t quite understand the reasons, though they have their theories, according to a source.

Ball, his producing partner Joe Hartwick Jr., Matt Reeves (producing through 6th & Idaho), and Boom! Studios’ Ross Ritchie and Stephen Christy are currently shopping the film around to other studios. Mouse Guard has already garnered a great deal of interest.

Reps for Disney did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

While Disney seems keen to develop certain Fox films, like Avatar and West Side Story, the fate of others remains to be seen, particularly when it comes The New Mutants, the X-Men franchise at large, and Ad Astra.

Disney has yet to announce any release changes to its roster since the acquisition, but, at CinemaCon, Disney’s Cathleen Taff, President of Distribution and Franchise Management, acknowledged, “We know some adjustments will need to be made, we will update you.”

Deadline was the first to report the Mouse Guard news.

Related content:

• The end of an era: Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox is finally complete
• Disney, Fox show united front to unveil upcoming joint film slate after merger
• Here are Disney’s upcoming films after the 21st Century Fox merger