List of upcoming Disney film adaptations
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” – in development
In addition to the canceled “Rose Red,” Disney is also working on a feature-length remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the animated film that changed studios decades ago. Girls on the Train screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson will reportedly pen the script, while La La Land duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will write brand new songs for the film. Several years have passed since the announcement of the film, there is little information, so the fate of the Snow White remake remains unclear.
However, if it does happen, The Amazing Spider-Man’s Marc Webb will be directing. Even potential casting announcements haven’t been made yet.
“The Lion King 2” – in development
After the worldwide success of the 2019 Lion King remake, the $1.657 billion, which broke several records, a sequel was quickly announced to be in production. The Lion King 2 will once again be written by Jeff Nathanson. The CGI sequel to the film adaptation will reportedly explore Mufasa’s origins and touch on the aftermath of the first film. In this respect, it has already been compared to The Godfather, Part II. Although Jon Favreau is set to return as a producer, he has stepped down from directing The Lion King 2. Instead, Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, who has already said he was impressed with the script for The Lion King 2, will take over the director’s chair.
“Hercules” – under development
In April 2020, it was announced that work was underway on a film version of Hercules. In 1997, the cartoon “Hercules”, based on the gods and heroes of Greek mythology, received positive reviews and collected good box office. The film is in early development, so almost all future details are under wraps.
However, it is known that Anthony and Joe Russo, who are engaged in the series of Marvel superheroes, have been attached to the film, and it is up to them whether the upcoming film adaptation will be a musical or not, as well as follow the original. It is also known that David Callaham, the screenwriter of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, will write the script for the upcoming film, if nothing changes.
“Bambi” is under development
Not to be confused with the Saturday Night Live parody featuring The Rock, a film adaptation of Bambi was announced in January 2020. The 1942 cartoon “Bambi” had some complications and was in development for many years (since 1936), but has since won (and broken) the hearts of generations of children. Following in the footsteps of The Jungle Book, the film version of Bambi will be photorealistic computer animation that will blur the lines between animation and live action. The screenplay will be written by Geneva Robertson-Dvoret and Lindsay Beer. However, the name of the director has not yet been announced.
“Aladdin 2” – in development
Despite an extremely mixed response, the 2019 Aladdin remake still grossed over $1 billion at the box office. As a result, a direct sequel (and Disney+ spin-off) was launched. Whether Guy Ritchie will return to the director’s chair remains unknown. However, it was announced that John Gatins and Andrea Berloff are handling the script. Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and Will Smith were slated to return as Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie, respectively. Returning producer Dan Lin told Screen Rant that Aladdin 2 will be different from the animated sequels. However, Lin did not rule out borrowing elements from the cartoon Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar. However, in the background of the scandal during the Oscars, it is possible to replace Will Smith with someone else.
“Robin Hood” – in development
Another Disney classic getting a remake and heading to Disney+ is Robin Hood. Released in 1973, the legendary British outlaw underwent a musical reimagining with anthropomorphic animals taking on traditional human roles. With the famous archer depicted as a fox, Robin Hood was a box office success and has remained popular for decades. A live-action/CGI hybrid was announced in April 2020. Kari Granlund has signed on to write the script and Carlos López Estrada is directing. However, there are few details, and one remains to guess – will they be animals or people?
“Cruella 2” – In development
Following Cruella’s critical acclaim, especially for Emma Stone’s iconic portrayal, a sequel was quickly greenlit. Cruella 2 will likely be a further exploration of Cruella De Vil’s rise to her 101 Villains with the Dalmatians. Emma Stone will definitely be back. The same is likely to be true for the rest of the cast, including Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Kyvan Novak, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry. Additionally, Tony McNamara and Craig Gillespie have also been confirmed to return from the first film to write and direct Cruella 2, respectively. Only announced in June 2021, details remain predictably scarce.
You can understand why Disney releases so many remakes of its classics – as long as there are viewers who are willing to pay money in cinemas and streaming services, there will still be adaptations of old cartoons, because nostalgia is very easy to make money from. On the one hand, this leads to oversaturation of screens and streams with non-original ideas and remakes. On the other hand, Disney in almost every such film tries to invent something new for the entire industry and gives impetus to the development of the film industry of the whole world.
In any case, everyone has to decide for himself – is he against or for film adaptations of classic Disney cartoons?