No one is more obsessed with cashing in on their own brand of nostalgia than Disney. Currently, they are going through a period of remaking some of their most beloved animated films into live-action movies. While not every adaptation has been a carbon-copy remake and even focused on beloved Disney villains like Maleficent and Cruella Deville, most have been cut and dry remakes. From Beauty of the Beast to The Lion King, Disney has spared no expense in trying to recapture the magic of their animated classics.
Although some have been divisive, Disney’s live-action remakes have been incredibly profitable, with four of them (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Alice in Wonderland) grossing over a billion dollars meaning that Disney’s far from stopping the remake train. Disney has plenty more live-action remakes lined up for the future, so we'll be seeing more of their beloved classics getting the live-action treatment. Some past live-action remakes are even getting sequels of their own. Before any of them hit theaters or Disney+, let’s look at what Disney’s cooking up.
‘Pinocchio’
Current Release Date: September 8th
Set to release on Disney+ Day, director Robert Zemeckis helms a live-action remake of Pinocchio, which stars Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the voice of Pinocchio.
The film is set to bring new life to the classic story of Pinocchio, a puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. It will see a lot of the original animated film's visuals be brought to life, especially when it comes to Pinocchio himself. The remake looks to be one of the biggest releases on Disney+ Day but isn’t the only Pinocchio adaptation coming this year as Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation for Netflix is set to release in December.
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’
Current Release Date: 2022
Although there have been plenty of attempts to create a generally beloved live-action Peter Pan movie, Disney is taking another shot at it with the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy.
Helmed by David Lowery, director of Disney’s 2016 remake of Pete’s Dragon, the film will bring fans back into Neverland for another magical adventure with Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and Wendy (Ever Anderson). The cast is rounded out by Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tink, and Jim Gaffigan as Smee. Given what Lowery has done with his visually atmospheric indie darlings like The Green Knight and A Ghost Story, his vision of a Peter Pan story could be amazing, and hopefully, it hits Disney+ sometime soon.
‘The Little Mermaid’
Current Release Date: May 26, 2023
After helming Mary Poppins Returns, director Rob Marshall now has his sights set on a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid that features a star-studded cast.
The film will retell the story of young mermaid Ariel (Halle Bailey) as she dreams of walking on dry land and being with the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Bailey could easily bring a new great take to Ariel and leads a cast featuring Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Daveed Diggs. With what Marshall did with Mary Poppins Returns, his Little Mermaid adaptation could be something special and is definitely a highly anticipated release for Disney fans.
‘Snow White’
Current Release Date: TBA
Known for helming both of Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man movies, director Marc Webb is currently slated to direct the upcoming live-action Snow White remake for Disney.
The film will retell the story of Snow White (Rachel Zegler) befriending a quirky band of dwarves as the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) plots to destroy her. While the remake does have some good potential with the talent involved, it did receive some criticism from prolific Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage over concern of the film’s characterization of the seven dwarves that many took notice of. Snow White is definitely a big adaptation Disney fans will want to keep their eyes on and maybe could bring a new take to the classic tale and its characters that will appease some of its early controversy.
‘Hercules’
Current Release Date: TBA
Since its announcement back in 2020, Disney has been working on a live-action remake of Hercules that has the Russo Brothers attached as producers.
While there’s still no cast for the film’s story of young demigod Hercules trying to regain his godly powers while the nefarious Hades tries to keep him down, the remake got a director on board. Recently, Aladdin and Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie signed on to helm the film. With Ritchie’s experience with Disney and generally unique vision, he could make his Hercules adaptation a great step-up from his Aladdin adaptation, which got a mixed reception.
‘Lion King’ Sequel
Current Release Date: TBA
Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King was one of the highest-grossing films of that year, so it’s no surprise that a sequel is in the works. But it’s not what you think.
The upcoming film, which is being directed by the incredible Barry Jenkins, is partly a prequel that will focus on the complicated relationship between Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) and Scar (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) before the events of the original. With a visionary like Jenkins behind it, the Lion King sequel could craft a story that legitimately rivals the original.
‘Cruella’ sequel
Current Release Date: TBA
One of the bigger breakout hits from Disney last year was Cruella, a live-action film focusing on the iconic villain Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. Now, fans can look forward to another movie soon.
Shortly after the success of the first film, it was announced that there would be a sequel that would see director Craig Gillespie and star Emma Stone return. The sequel could easily focus more on the 101 Dalmatians story it teased at the end of the first film, and fans will be overjoyed to see Stone return as Cruella.
‘Lilo & Stitch’
Current Release Date: TBA
Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney's biggest franchises, even receiving an animated spinoff on Disney Channel that was equally beloved by fans. Now, Disney is looking to bring the film into live-action.
Admittedly, bringing something like Lilo & Stitch into live-action could be challenging due to the strong blending of live-action and CGI needed to make the film work, but its current director shows some promise. Director Dean Fleischer-Camp recently just warmed the hearts of audiences with Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and could easily bring that energy into Lilo & Stitch.
‘Jungle Book’ sequel
Current Release Date: TBA
In some ways, Jon Favreau’s 2016 adaptation of The Jungle Book was where Disney’s live-action remake craze really began, and based on its success, they’re now trying to make a sequel.
It’s tough to say what the sequel will exactly be about or if most of the cast will return alongside Favreau, but if it finds the right story and continues the original’s legacy of delivering breathtaking visuals, it could be a worthwhile trip back into the jungle.
‘Tinker Bell’
Current Release Date: TBA
Although Tinker Bell is mostly known as the magical fairy sidekick to Peter Pan, she has actually sparked her own legacy of animated films and now has a film on the way.
There’s not much word on what this film will be, like if it’s a spinoff of Peter Pan & Wendy or its own film, but it does have a big name attached. Reese Witherspoon is currently slated as a producer for the film and the popularity of Tinker Bell could easily draw other big names as well.