There are more than a dozen Disney live-action remakes in development. That’s hardly surprising given how much success the recent reimaginings of their classic animated movies have been.
In 2017, Beauty and the Beast grossed over $1.2 billion at the global box office, while The Jungle Book was met with very favorable reviews upon its release in 2016 and pulled in an impressive $966 million worldwide. More recently, Aladdin made almost $1 billion after mass skepticism. Cinderella, Maleficent, and Pete’s Dragon have also seen success, and while initially the thought of Disney remaking nearly their entire back catalog was worrying, most fans are now looking forward to seeing our favorite characters again. Which is just as well, since Disney currently has a whopping sixteen live-action remakes in the works.
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There are four live-action Disney remakes due in 2019 alone, and many more spinoffs, sequels, and reinterpretations in various stages of development. Here’s every live-action remake Disney is currently working on.
Last updated: July 18, 2019
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – October 18, 2019
Not strictly a remake, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil follows on from the 2014 hit, Maleficent, which retold the tale of Sleeping Beauty from the wicked fairy’s point of view. Angeline Jolie reprises her role – one she played with great relish the first time around. Rejoining her will be Elle Fanning as Aurora, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Leslie Manville as the good fairies, and Sam Riley as Diaval. New characters include Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, Ed Skrein as a villain, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a rumored romantic interest for Maleficent.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was originally slated to release in 2020 before moving up to late 2019, and it will pick up several years after the events of the first movie, with Aurora soon to become Queen and trying to form an alliance with Maleficent. Joachim Rønning directs from a script by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster.
Lady and the Tramp (1955) is cute and adorable, but is often ignored in favor of bigger, blockbuster titles, making it prime for a remake. The film, directed by Charlie Bean (The LEGO Ninjago Movie), will release direct to the Disney Plus streaming service, although no release date set (it could be late 2019 on launch or a later addition).
The Lady and the Tramp remake will be a live-action and CGI hybrid (that reportedly uses real dogs), featuring the voices of Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux in the lead roles along with Ashley Jensen, Benedict Wong, Kiersey Clemons, Thomas Mann and Yvette Nicole Brown.
Mulan – June 19, 2020
Mulan has been delayed a few times, from 2018 initially to 2019 and now 2020, but now it’s all set. Niki Caro directs, and what was initially going to be a non-musical movie is now all-singing and all-dancing affair after an outcry from fans. The cast is all Asian, with Yifei Liu in the titular role, Jet Li as The Emperor, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, and Yoson An as Chen Honghui, Mulan’s love interest. The character of Li Shang, Mulan’s original love interest, will not feature, although An’s character sounds remarkably similar.
Cruella – December 23, 2020
Emma Stone has been attached to star in a 101 Dalmatians remake/prequel told from Cruella DeVil’s point of view for years. Now, I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie is attached, meaning it should move forward soon. Cruella is reportedly set in 1979, and tied to Punk Rock-era London. The film recently got a confirmed Winter 2020 release date.
The Little Mermaid – In Development
The Little Mermaid has also been in pre-production for a while now, and is now moving forward. Rob Marshall is set to be directing, returning to Disney once more after directing Mary Poppins Returns, with new music written by Alan Menken and Lin Manuel Miranda, a huge coup and one sure to delight fans of the original movie.
Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, while Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina are in talks to voice Flounder and Scuttle respectively. Javier Bardem is also reportedly in talks to play King Triton. As the furthest along of the in-development Disney remakes, expect The Little Mermaid to take a 2021 release slot.
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Lilo & Stitch – In Development
The first Disney movie released in the 2000s announced to be getting the live-action treatment is Lilo & Stitch. Little is known about the movie other than it will be written by Mike Van Waes (Conjuring spinoff The Crooked Man) and will feature a mix of live-action and CGI.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – In Development
Another film from the 1990s Disney renaissance, albeit not the most popular, set for a live-action remake is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The film is executive produced by Josh Gad who may star as Quasimodo and sing; this new Hunchback is reportedly still a musical.
The film could be the cause for some competition as Iris Elba is reportedly starring and directing a version for Netflix (who also released Andy Serkis’ competing Mowgli).
The Sword In The Stone – In Development
The Sword In The Stone is another live-action remake set to debut on the Disney streaming service when it launches. As well as new TV shows from Lucasfilm and Marvel, Disney plans to release four to five original movies on the platform each year, and it seems as though it’s looking to its back catalog for some remake ideas. It seems unlikely The Sword In The Stone will get a theatrical release, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be popular; take a look at Descendants as an example. The Sword In The Stone was due to start filming in Ireland in September 2018 with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo directing, but there’s been no official word since.
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Pinocchio – In Development
A live-action Pinocchio has been talked about for several years, but it’s hit several roadblocks. First, Sam Mendes was attached to direct but left in 2017. More recently, Paddington director Paul King stepped away. Disney had hoped to film Pinocchio in 2019 (likely for a 2020 release), but that’s looking unlikely. There are no actors attached to the project yet, while Jack Thorne, probably most well-known for writing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is said to be rewriting the script after Pete Hedges and Chris Weitz collaborated on a previous draft.
Prince Charming – In Development
Disney announced way back in 2015 that there would be a live-action movie based on the life of Prince Charming – the one true love of Cinderella who we never really learn much about. In November 2017, Disney revealed that Stephen Chbosky is attached to write and direct and, although it will center on Charming, the story will be told from his brother’s point of view. Given the success of Maleficent, this could well be a smart move. With no further updates, though, it’s impossible to know when this one could arrive.
Jungle Book 2 – In Development
It’s no surprise that Disney has a follow-up to the critically acclaimed live-action Jungle Book, released in 2016, in the works. Don’t expect a release date set anytime soon, though; director Jon Favreau will return, and right now he’s focused on The Lion King. Given the massive amount of work involved with the CGI process, this one could take a while to reach our screens, but Disney remain adamant that Jungle Book 2 is in development. The movie is said to delve further into Rudyard Kipling’s work, and also to use some discarded ideas from the 1967 animated version of Jungle Book.
Tink – In Development
If Maleficent and Cruella can get their own movies, then why not Tinkerbell? Tink has been in development for a long time now, with Elizabeth Banks at one point attached to star. Now it’s allegedly Reese Witherspoon, although there’s been no reports on the project since 2015.
Peter Pan – In Development
David Lowery did a great job directing the live-action Pete’s Dragon, so Disney must view him as a safe pair of hands to be trusted with Peter Pan. First released in 1953, Peter Pan has amazing characters, but the movie drags in places, so hopefully Lowery can overcome that. There have been many iterations of the Peter Pan story told over the years, but it sounds as though Lowery will be taking the classic tale and turning it into a live-action adventure movie that has the potential to be really fun. Again, reported development has been slow in recent years.
Rose Red – In Development
The original Disney movie, it’s hardly surprising that a new version of Snow White had long been in development. What is surprising is the angle. Rose Red won’t actually focus on the warbling princess at all, but on her sister; the movie is said to pick up moments after Snow White bites the poisoned apple, leaving Rose Red to embark upon a quest with the Seven Dwarfs to find a cure. Most recently, it’s been reported Disney is eye Brie Larson for the lead role.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – In Development
In addition to the Rose Red movie, Disney is also working on a feature-length remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – the animated movie that transformed the studio decades ago. The Girl on the Train scribe Erin Cressida Wilson is reportedly penning the script with La La Land duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul writing all-new songs for the film. However, considering it’s been a few years since the movie was announced, the Snow White remake may have been put on hold in order to pursue Rose Red instead.
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Read more: screenrant.com
