Summary
- Disney continues to explore its beloved IP with live-action remakes, spin-offs, and television series of their classic animated movies.
- Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, and Mufasa: The Lion King are among the upcoming live-action remakes in various stages of development.
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Aristocats have also got scripts in development, but no cast yet.
There are more than a dozen upcoming Disney live-action movies in different stages of development. That’s hardly surprising given how much success the recent reimaginings of their classic animated movies have seen. It seems Disney will continue to explore its beloved IP and offer up original live-action interpretations for many years to come — as well as the spin-offs and television series that may come with that. Starting with 2016’s live-action The Jungle Book, Disney has been steadily reworking their back catalog of animated features into new, CGI-laden live-action offerings.
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. Aladdin earned $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 their favorite characters again. This is just as well since Disney currently has several live-action remakes in the works. Furthermore, there are a variety of spinoffs, sequels, and reinterpretations in various stages of development.
The original animated movies that inspire Disney’s live-action remakes are available to stream on Disney+.
Snow White
Releasing March 21, 2025
The next live-action Disney remake set to be released is the feature-length remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — the animated movie that transformed the studio almost a century ago. The Girl on the Train scribe Erin Cressida Wilson and Barbie’s Greta Gerwig penned the script with La La Land duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul writing all-new songs for the film. Amazing Spider-Man‘s Marc Webb is on board as the director.
As for the Snow White remake cast, West Side Story’sRachel Zegler stars as the titular Snow White while Wonder Woman Gal Gadot plays the Evil Queen. Broadway star Andrew Burnap plays Snow White’s love interest, Jonathan. The story will deviate more from the source material than most, and the live-action Snow White will supposedly be a different take than the one-dimensional Prince of the original animated tale. The musical is set to update the story significantly, giving Snow White more agency in her own story.
Lilo & Stitch
Expected To Release In 2024 Or 2025
The first Disney movie released in the 2000s announced to be getting the live-action treatment is Lilo & Stitch. Little has been made known about the movie other than it will be written by Mike Van Waes and will feature a mix of live-action and CGI. The Lilo & Stitch remake also looks set to head straight to Disney+.
The movie entered production in March 2023, but production was suspended following the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike.. So far, only a handful of announcements have been made. Zach Galifianakis has been cast as Pleakley, Jumbo Kookiba’s alien partner. Newcomer Maia Kealoha has been cast as the titular Lilo. Sydney Elizabeth Agudong plays Lilo’s older sister Nani, Kaipo Dudoit plays Nani’s boyfriend, and Chris Sanders returns to voice Stitch after taking on that role in the original animated movie. Finally, Courtney B. Vance plays social worker Cobra Bubbles, and Billy Magnussen signed on for an unknown role.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Releasing December 20, 2024
After the $1.657 billion worldwide success of 2019’s The Lion King remake, which saw several records broken, production on a sequel was rapidly announced. The Lion King 2 will once again be penned by Jeff Nathanson. The CGI-crafted live-action sequel will explore the origins of Mufasa and touch on the aftermath of the first movie, officially titled Mufasa: The Lion King. In that regard, it’s already been likened to The Godfather Part II. Though he’s set to return as a producer, Jon Favreau passed on directing The Lion King 2. Instead, Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins will take over the director’s chair, stating he was blown away by The Lion King 2‘s script.
Only a handful of casting decisions have been announced, but the movie has been scheduled for a December 2024 release, which means it has to be pretty far along in the production process despite not releasing a lot of information to the public. Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani have been announced as reprising their voice roles as Pumbaa, Timon, and Rafiki. Cast in the roles of Mufasa and Scar are Aaron Pierre (Krypton) and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Elvis), respectively.
Moana
In Development
The Disney live-action remakes that have been released so far are inspired by Disney’s classic films. For the most part, that is. Beauty and the Beast as well as The Little Mermaid are both from the Disney Renaissance era, but classics have been the focus. That’s why it’s a surprise for fans that Moana is being developed for a live-action movie.
The announcement was made by Dwayne Johnson via social media, who will be reprising his role of Maui in the movie. There’s no word yet if any of the rest of the voice cast will return for the live-action remake. Johnson did specify that the movie will rely on the Polynesian traditions of song and dance to tell the story, so it’s likely the live-action Moana will be a musical just like the animated version.
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. David Henry Hwang was announced to be writing the screenplay. The film could be the cause for some competition as Idris Elba is reportedly starring in and directing a version of the original story for Netflix (which also released Andy Serkis’ competing Mowgli).
However, there is some concern that The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake might never happen. Disney composer Alan Menken said in a recent interview that there are “a lot of real, real issues that are important issues and should be explored to be discussed. And there has to be an agreement about how we deal with those issues.” He said the movie is in limbo right now.
The Aristocats
In Development
Live-action/animated hybrids are a popular choice for Disney remakes right now. The idea is that real sets and real human actors are used to film the movie, but that animal characters are created with animation and visual effects instead of using live animals in the role. That’s the plan for Aristocats, the live-action remake of the 1970 musical.
The original musical focused on the adventures of a family of cats, and that’s going to be coming to the big screen courtesy of Questlove. Not only will Questlove make his feature film directing debut with the movie, but he’ll also be overseeing the music. Will Gluck (Easy A, Peter Rabbit) and Keith Bunin (Onward) are penning the script.
Hercules
In Development
In April 2020, it was announced that Disney’s live-action version of Hercules was in the works. Loosely based on the Gods and heroes of Greek mythology, Hercules was released to positive reviews and a healthy box office in 1997. Only a short way into pre-production, details have remained understandably scarce. Those included whether it would remain a musical and whether it would faithfully adhere to the original to merely spin the characters in a new direction.
What was made clear, however, was that Avengers: Endgame directors, Anthony and Joe Russo would serve as producers. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings scribe, Dave Callaham, signed on to write the screenplay, and Guy Ritchie is set to direct. Ritchie previously directed Disney’s Aladdin remake. Joe Russo said it has been said to be taking inspiration from the social media app Tik-Tok.
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As the storyteller, you have to be aware of changing habits… I think Matilda was a great example of a movie that, because of TikTok, it became a bit of a sensation with an under-30 audience.”
Cruella 2
In Development
Following the critical acclaim of Cruella, especially in terms of Emma Stone’s iconic portrayal, a sequel was rapidly greenlit. Cruella 2 will likely be a further exploration of Cruella De Vil’s rise en-route to her 101 Dalmations villainy. As Cruella told its own story using a Disney movie and character as inspiration — rather than being a shot-for-shot remake of 101 Dalmatians — the same will likely be true of Cruella 2.
Emma Stone will no doubt return along with other previous cast members, including Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Kayvan Novak, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry. Equally, Tony McNamara and Craig Gillespie were also confirmed, returning from the first movie to write and direct Cruella 2, respectively.
Tink
In Development
In 2010, Elizabeth Banks was announced to star as Tinkerbell for Disney, but the project didn’t move forward. Tink was then announced again in 2015. The production is expected to expand on the life of Peter Pan’s fairy sidekick Tinkerbell, just as the animated series of Tinkerbell movies has. Reese Witherspoon was initially attached to star in and produce the movie. While her production company is still attached to the movie, it’s not clear if Witherspoon is still planning on starring in the live-action Disney movie.
That’s especially up in the air since Yara Shahidi took on the role of Tinkerbell for Peter Pan & Wendy, the live-action Disney remake of Peter Pan. It’s possible that Disney could decide to center a Tink spin-off on Shahidi’s version of the character instead. That would keep the characterization consistent for Disney in live-action, just as the animated movies have been based on Disney’s Tinkerbell design from their 1953 movie.
The Sword In The Stone
In Development
The Sword In The Stone is another live-action remake set to also debut on the Disney+ streaming service. Based on the classic Arthurian legend (and the 1963 animated adaptation), The Sword In The Stone was due to start filming in Ireland in September 2018, but was delayed. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was attached as the movie’s director, working from a script by Game of Thrones‘ Bryan Cogman. There’s been little word since, except to say that it’s still on Disney’s live-action slate of remakes.
Jungle Book 2
In Development
It’s no surprise that Disney wants a follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2016 live-action Jungle Book in the works. Don’t expect a release date anytime soon, though; director Jon Favreau will return, and he’s just shifted his focus off The Lion King. Given the massive amount of work involved with the CGI process, this one could take a while to reach screens. Regardless of the fact it could be a long wait, Disney has remained adamant that Jungle Book 2 is on the way. The movie will delve further into Rudyard Kipling’s work, and also use some discarded ideas from the 1967 animated version of Jungle Book. Top Gun: Maverick writer Justin Marks is penning the script.
Bambi
In Development
Not to be confused with Saturday Night Live‘s parody featuring The Rock, a live-action Bambi remake was announced by Disney in January 2020. Following the adventures of a semi-orphaned white-tailed deer and her woodland friends, Bambi was originally released in 1942. The movie has won (and broken) the hearts of many generations of children ever since. Following in the footsteps of The Jungle Book, the Bambi remake will be a photorealistic computer-animated take that will blur the lines between animated and live-action. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer will pen the screenplay. A director, however, has yet to be announced.
Aladdin 2
Stalled In Development
Despite an extremely divisive reaction, 2019’s Aladdin remake nonetheless accumulated over $1 billion at the box office. As a result, a direct sequel (and a Disney+ Prince Anders spinoff) were put in motion. It’s unknown whether Guy Ritchie will return to the director’s chair, but John Gatins and Andrea Berloff were announced as tackling the script. Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and Will Smith were all slated to return as Aladdin, Jasmine, and The Genie, respectively. However, actor Massoud said in 2023 that the sequel was “very unlikely” to happen. While the Aladdin 2 sequel might be in danger, the Prince Anders spinoff is likely still to happen. Aladdin star Billy Magnussen said that the movie based on his character was still in development. “It’s in development. We are in the stages of rewrites right now, and it’s still moving forward. Yeah, it’s really exciting.“
Robin Hood
In Development
Another Disney classic receiving the remake treatment and heading to Disney+ is Robin Hood. Released in 1973, the legendary British outlaw experienced a musical reimagining with anthropomorphic animals assuming the traditionally human roles — and for many, Disney’s version has since become the definitive iteration of the well-known figure Robin Hood. With the iconic archer himself depicted as a fox, Robin Hood was a box office success that has endured in popularity across the decades. In April 2020, a live-action/CG hybrid was announced. Kari Granlund signed on to tackle the script, with Blindspotting‘s Carlos López Estrada directing.
The Black Cauldron
Screen Rights Acquired
The Black Cauldron is often called one of the “forgotten” Disney animated movies because it doesn’t receive the fanfare so many other princess movies get. The 1985 movie is one of Disney’s darkest animated projects, and it’s based on the fantasy novels The Chronicles of Prydain. In 2016, Disney again acquired the film rights (which had lapsed) for The Chronicles of Prydain with the intention of making a live-action adaptation of the novels. No writer, director, or stars were ever announced as attached to the project, so it’s not clear if Disney still intends on moving forward with the live-action remake or not.
