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“The Little Mermaid” — May 26, 2023
Alan Menken, who worked on the music for the original film, returns for the new movie, which will include songs from Menken and Disney lyricist Howard Ashman. There will also be new songs from Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Disney announced singer Halle Bailey would play the lead role of Ariel in July 2019.
“It was very important for us to honor the original beauty of this movie, but also reimagine it and bring some depth and also find a way into this epic, epic piece that was deep and emotional,” director Rob Marshall told 2022’s D23 Expo crowd.
Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, are also among the cast.
The first trailer, which you can watch here, was released at 2022’s D23 Expo.
“Peter Pan & Wendy” — Disney+ in 2023
David Lowry, who directed “Pete’s Dragon,” will reimagine the remake of Disney’s 1953 animated film “Peter Pan.”
Alexander Molony will play Peter Pan and Ever Anderson will star as Wendy. Jude Law was cast as Peter’s nemesis, Captain Hook, and “Grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi will play Tinker Bell.
At 2022’s D23 Expo, fans were told that the film will put a bigger focus on Wendy’s story as she joins Peter Pan in Neverland. At D23, Anderson described Wendy and Peter as equals in this film.
It will also show more of the history of Peter’s rivalry with Captain Hook.
“We got to mine their backstory a little more. You understand a little more about their past, and a past where they were possibly once friends,” Law told the D23 crowd. “There’s still, as I said, a great rivalry and a great physical rivalry.”
Law added, joking: “For me, playing the good guy, it was particularly nice to finally layer in that understanding of who and why Captain Hook is so iconic.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” — 2024
Disney’s successful 2019 adaptation of “The Lion King” is getting a prequel. During its 2020 investors day presentation, Disney confirmed Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) will direct the follow-up.
“‘Mufasa’ is the origin story of one of the greatest kings in the history of pride lions,” director Barry Jenkins told fans at 2022’s D23 Expo, saying that the film will be told in different time frames as it shifts between the present and past.
Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa are all narrating Mufasa’s story, which will show how he came into power.
“Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone, by himself,” Jenkins said of the prequel. “In telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the Circle of Life.”
You can read more on the prequel here.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” — 2024
Disney is working on a live-action version of its first animated classic. Marc Webb (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) directs the upcoming adaptation with “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler playing the iconic Disney princess. Gal Gadot assumes the role of her stepmother, the Evil Queen.
“Snow White is the girl you remember, but she’s definitely made for the modern age,” Zegler told the D23 crowd. “There’s such an emphasis on what it really means to be the fairest of them all. For Snow White, it’s coming to terms with finding herself and finding her inner voice and finding a sense of agency so that she can be a just ruler and a wonderful queen.”
The fairy tale will have new music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the songs for “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land.”
The D23 crowd got a sneak peek at both Snow White and the Queen in their costumes. Gadot looked spot on.
Disney is working on an adaptation of 1996’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
According to Deadline, a live-action version of Disney’s 1996 movie about an orphaned Quasimodo living in the bell tower of Notre Dame is in the works. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who teamed up on “Pocahontas,” will write the music, while Josh Gad (“Frozen”) is producing.
Deadline reports the live-action film will adapt both the 1996 Disney film and the Victor Hugo novel. It’s not clear whether or not the remake will be for Disney’s streaming service or a theatrical release.
A sequel to the live-action “Aladdin” is in the works.
Variety reports John Gatins and Andrea Berloff are writing a sequel to the 2019 film with producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich returning.
Lin told Insider back in August 2019 they were discussing a sequel.
“I can’t talk too much about the sequel just yet, but know that we are hearing fans’ desires to see another ‘Aladdin‘ movie and feel like there’s more story to tell,” Lin told Insider after the film crossed $1 billion at the box office.
Stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott haven’t joined and won’t be given offers until a script is finished.
Disney released two popular direct-to-video sequels for “Aladdin” in the ’90s, including “The Return of Jafar” and “Aladdin and the King of Thieves.” Variety reports the sequel will be completely original and not based on the straight-to-video films.
Disney has not officially announced the sequel.
An Aladdin spinoff, featuring Prince Anders, is also in development for Disney+.
In 2019, THR reported that Billy Magnussen’s “Aladdin” character would get his own spin-off movie on Disney Plus. The film is not supposed to be a sequel.
Anders is a prince who, rather unsuccessfully, sought Princess Jasmine’s hand in marriage in the 2019 film.
“Aladdin” producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich will produce the untitled Anders’ project.
“Robin Hood” is getting remade for Disney+.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the remake will be directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and will head to Disney+.
A live-action “Hercules” is expected to get a theatrical release.
The DisInsider first reported the 1997 animated film about the son of Zeus will get a live-action remake.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo will produce, but not direct, the film.
Danny DeVito and James Woods lent their voices in the animated film. Ariana Grande performed a solo six-part harmony of the movie’s “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” in 2020, prompting many fans to suggest she’d be the perfect Meg. It’s unclear at this time whether or not music will be a part of the film.
“Bambi” will be getting remade for a new generation.
According to Variety, the remake of the 1942 film won’t be live-action with a real deer, rabbit, and skunk. Disney will utilize the technology that helped bring “The Lion King” remake to life to look photorealistic.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”) and Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) will write the screenplay for the film.
We haven’t heard updates on the rest of these films in a while. “The Jungle Book” sequel was originally announced years ago.
Before the release of Disney’s remake of 1961’s “The Jungle Book,” the studio already started planning a sequel. The movie was a huge success, grossing nearly $1 billion at the box office.
According to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, Jon Favreau is expected to return to the director’s chair for “The Jungle Book 2” along with Justin Marks to return for the sequel. There is no set release date for the movie.
Disney is reportedly in talks to remake Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach,” which was adapted as a stop-motion film in 1996.
No new information has been released since 2016.
Peter Pan’s fairy companion Tinker Bell was reportedly getting her own live-action film, too.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about a movie in 2015 that would star Reese Witherspoon. If the live-action “Peter Pan” movie performs well, there’s still room for Yara Shahidi to get her own spinoff film.