Last March, "Cinderella" was a huge hit at the box office but also became a critical darling. As a result of the success, Disney decided to make more live action adaptations of great classic animated films.

Now with the release of the DVD and with awards buzz on the radar, Academy Award nominee Chris Weitz, the writer of the film, opened up about the process of writing the script and working with Kenneth Branagh and the film's stars Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter.

Weitz, who is the grandson of famed silent actress Lupita Tovar, is best known for directing "A Better Life," "The Golden Compass" and About a Boy."

Latin Post: How did you get involved with the project?

Chris Weitz: The actual writing of the script was a two-year process; from beginning to write it to getting to the screen. Disney asked me if I was interested in writing Cinderella. Even though it was not the type of thing I had done before. I was really really interested in it. First of all, anytime you're making a movie, you want to make sure you get an audience to see it. That's always crucial with film. So that's a tremendous opportunity knowing people were gonna go to see Disney's "Cinderella." Also the character and the story are really fascinating. Cinderella's not a contemporary hero at all because she does not win by fighting and she doesn't talk back. She kind of deals with things through tremendous inner resilience. I find it a really interesting character to write especially when there are so many movies out there which are about fighting, explosions and super powers.

LP: When you were writing the screenplay did you look back at the original Disney film, other adaptations and the original source materials?

CW: Absolutely. So everyone has an idea of the story of Cinderella. As it turns out the perceived notions of what that is, is basically the 1951 Disney animated film and that is based on the French version of the fairy tale by Charles Perrault. There is also the Grimm version which is a lot more bloody and brutal. But there are so many versions of the story in so many cultures. It is one of the most famous stories in the world. So I think one was has to be very aware of all the versions that you can and be able to use everything that's good from it and yet to create a contemporary version of the story.

LP: What do you find challenging about making a fresh new adaptation of the story?

CW: The challenging thing is that if you are going to do it in a straightforward kind of way in which Cinderella is the heroine and it's not going to be her stepmother who turns out to be the heroine, you need to figure out a way to get contemporary audiences on board. Which is to say, Cinderella is not going to fall in love with the prince just because he is good looking and charming. There has to be a sufficient reason for her to do so. So you have to figure out a relationship for Cinderella and the Prince which is credible and understandable. You also need to figure out a way for Cinderella to not seem like the goody two shoes or a doormat. She does not punch the wicked stepmother in the face, she does not run away from home but she manages to be tremendously resilient and brave and resourceful. So that is tricky.

LP: When you're writing the film, do you visualize the movie? How is the process different from when you're writing a film you will direct?

CW: I try to be as responsible in terms of how I visualize it. I am conscious of the difficulties of making a movie of this size and complexity knowing that sets are going to have to be built and knowing that extras are going to be hired. In some ways that helps and that I am not setting impossible images and tasks before Ken (Kenneth Branagh). I am also conscious that it is Ken's film and not mine so I do believe it's a director's medium. When it comes down to it, it's the film he wants. And I also don't try to over visualize things because I know there are going to be people like Sandy Powell and Dante Ferretti who are going to be doing costumes and the sets. So what they are going to come up with is much greater than what I have in my mind and that's terrific when you see the final result.

LP: Did you get to collaborate with Kenneth Branagh and the actors once you finished writing the film?

CW: Yeah, it was great. That's one of the treats because Ken invited me into rehearsals and I was able to sit down with Helena (Bonham Carter) and Cate Blanchett and talk about the parts and make sure that it was custom built to them. That is one of coolest things to do a film like this. You get to work with the actors. So it was terrific.

LP: Were you ever on set during the filming of the movie?

CW: I was on set once or twice but most of the time I was back home in LA. During shooting I was there rarely but then I came back again in post to look at cuts and add additional dialogue. It was a fantastic experience seeing what had been built and delightful when such a good cast comes together.

LP: For the most part, was the finished film basically what you wrote or was there improvising or changes to the script?

CW: I'd say it was mostly what I wrote. But there is definitely a sufficient amount of improvisation from the actors and improvisation from scenes that Ken added and different twists to scenes that were not necessarily in the script. And it's terrific and I really liked it. Things never are precisely the way they are in the script.

LP: What are your next projects?

CW: Right now I'm adapting a Japanese film called "Like Father, Like Son" which was at Cannes a couple of years ago. We're adapting it for Dreamworks and for Steven Spielberg.