- Disney is remaking a number of animated classics into live-action movies.
- Halle Bailey will play Ariel in a live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”
- According to Variety, Disney is developing a sequel to 2019’s live-action “Aladdin.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
If you loved Disney’s live-action “The Jungle Book” and take on “Maleficent,” the Mouse House is bringing even more animated classics back to life.
From fairy-tales like “Snow White” to classics such as “Bambi” and “The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s live-action list continues to grow with more than a dozen in the works.
Some of the movies that have been announced are complete remakes of their animated counterparts, while others are based on origin stories or sequels to existing live-action adaptations.
Anjelica Oswald contributed to a previous version of this story.
Disney is bringing "Mulan" to life now at the end of July.
The film follows a young woman who disguises herself as a man, takes her father's place in war, and saves China. The remake was originally supposed to premiere in 2018.
Niki Caro is directing the movie, which was set for release on March 27, 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic. It will now be released on July 24. Caro is the second woman at the studio to direct a movie with a budget of over $100 million.
You can watch the first trailer for the movie here.
Read more: Here's the cast of Disney's live-action 'Mulan' and who they're playing
Emma Stone will play the "101 Dalmatians" villain in "Cruella."
Glenn Close played the villainous Cruella de Vil in the 1996 live-action remake of the animated movie.
The new movie is planned to be an origin story for the villain, directed by Craig Gillespie ("I, Tonya"). At Disney's 2019 D23 Expo, Stone described the movie as "1970s, set in London, and punk rock" in a message to fans.
The film was moved back from December 23, 2020, to May 28, 2021.
Disney is remaking 1963's "The Sword in the Stone," which follows a young King Arthur and his lessons with the wizard Merlin.
The remake will be written by "Game of Thrones" writer and producer Bryan Cogman. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was named as the director in January 2018.
The movie will also be available on Disney's streaming service.
Disney is working on its own "Little Mermaid" remake with new music from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken.
Alan Menken worked on the music for the original film. He recently returned to compose the music for the "Aladdin" remake. The movie will include songs from Menken and legendary Disney lyricist Howard Ashman as well as new songs from Menken and Miranda.
Disney announced 19-year-old singer Halle Bailey will play the lead role of Ariel in July 2019.
"After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance - plus a glorious singing voice - all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role," producer Rob Marshall said in a statement released by the studio.
According to Disney, production for the live-action movie will begin in early 2020. There is no set release date for 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.
Disney's second animated film "Pinocchio" is being adapted into a live-action version.
Deadline first reported the movie in 2015.
"Paddington" director Paul King left the project over the 2018 holidays, according to cinematographer Seamus McGarvey. Robert Zemeckis ("Back to the Future," "Forrest Gump") will now direct the movie and co-write a script with Chris Weitz.
Disney is set to release a live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a live-action/CGI movie is in the works from the same producers working on "Aladdin." It's unknown if the movie will be for theaters or for Disney's upcoming streaming service.
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.
"Robin Hood" is getting remade for Disney Plus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a live-action version of the 1973 film will be heading to Disney Plus. The film follows the outlaw Robin Hood, a fox, and his friend Little John who steal from Prince John to give to the poor woodland creatures of the forest.
It will be directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and written by Kari Granlund, who wrote the script for Disney Plus' "Lady and the Tramp" remake. The remake is planned to be a musical like the original.
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 recently performed a solo six-part harmony of the movie's "I Won't Say I'm In Love," 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.
It's not just animated movies getting the movie treatment. Popular duo Chip 'n Dale are supposed to get a CGI/live-action film based on the animated series.
The film was first reported in 2014 by The Hollywood Reporter. In May, it was reported the CGI-hybrid will be directed by Akiva Schaffer (who's a part of the comedy trio The Lonely Island).
Disney is also working on a live-action version of its first animated classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
The Hollywood Reporter made the announcement in October 2016. The fairy tale will have new music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who most recently wrote the songs for "The Greatest Showman." They also did the music for "La La Land."
Marc Webb ("The Amazing Spider-Man") will direct the upcoming adaptation, according to a May 2019 report in Variety.
"Peter Pan" has been brought to life in numerous incarnations, but Disney is set to remake its 1953 animated film.
David Lowry, who directed "Pete's Dragon," will set his sights on re-imagining "Peter Pan" as well.
Lowry told Collider in 2016 he's a big fan of the film and he intends to bring his own spin to the material.
"It made a huge impact on how I grew up. I love the cartoon. I love the 2003 version. I didn't know how I would do it better," said Lowry. "Then, I started thinking, 'Well, how would I do it, not better, but differently?'"
According to Variety, the film is titled "Peter and Wendy."
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.
One of the Prince Charmings (from Cinderella or Snow White) will get his own movie, too.
"Wonder" director Stephen Chbosky will write - and maybe direct - the new spin on the romance.
It's reported that the Genie will get his own live-action prequel titled "Genies."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie would follow how he ended up in the lamp, but no new information since 2015 is known.
Another film was previously reported to be in the works about Snow White's sister, Rose Red, who is featured in Grimm's fairy tales.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Rose Red" will feature the titular character's adventure with the dwarves to save Snow White after she bites the poisonous apple.
Evan Daugherty, who previously wrote "Snow White and the Huntsman" starring Kristen Stewart, is working on the project.
Peter Pan's fairy companion TInker Bell is supposed to get her own live-action film, too.
It will be called "Tink" reportedly starring Reese Witherspoon. The Hollywood Reporter wrote about the movie in 2015.
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.
Disney also greenlit a movie for one of its darkest characters — Chernabog, the demon from "Fantasia" — back in 2015.
The character was featured in an 11-minute segment called "Night on Bald Mountain." He's a strange choice for a standalone film since he's basically a depiction of the devil and feels quite un-Disney-like.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney's take will be similar to what was done with Maleficent, the villainess of "Sleeping Beauty." That film humanized one of Disney's darkest villains by telling her backstory. Chernabog popped up on ABC's fairy-tale show "Once Upon A Time."
