Reworking Cinderella

I didn't even realize Disney was making a "revisionist" film version of Cinderella, but apparently the movie is running into problems. Cate Blanchett is still on board as the wicked stepmother, but director Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) has left, allegedly due to "differing views on how to tell the story" between him and the studio. (According to Deadline, he wanted to go darker, while Disney wanted to preserve a happily-ever-after ending.) I'm thinking they could do both: my childhood version of Cinderella featured the stepsisters cutting off bits of their feet to fit into the glass slipper, and later being blinded in the wedding procession, but it also included Cinderella and the Prince meeting at three balls, not just one, giving them a chance to get to know one another beyond the undoubtedly-vital facts of dancing ability and shoe size. See? Best of both worlds!