The key word is original.
The House of Mouse is digging a little deeper into New Orleans Square, but they are completely throwing out their standard shot-for-shot remake playbook. According to Deadline, Disney is officially in active development on a live-action theatrical project centered on Princess Tiana, inspired by the 2009 animated classic The Princess and the Frog.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin) is in talks to co-write the screenplay alongside Tony-nominated Slave Play mastermind Robert O’Hara.
The report comes at a critical juncture for Walt Disney Studios’ live-action division, which is facing immense pressure to revitalize the format after highly publicized box office stumbles from Snow White and the Moana live-action reimagining. As such, the most significant detail shared by Deadline is that this untitled project is explicitly not a direct, live-action remake of the 2009 animated film. Instead, Disney is developing the film as an original live-action spinoff designed to aggressively expand Tiana’s world rather than re-treading her journey as a frog traversing the Louisiana bayou.
Disney Animation spent years drafting a long-form Tiana musical sequel series for Disney+, only to completely scrap the streaming show last year as the company aggressively pulled back on expensive streaming content. By shifting the property into a live-action theatrical feature, the studio is granting the popular character a premium big-screen canvas.
The project joins a fiercely active, revamped Disney live-action slate that includes the Guy Ritchie-led Hercules reboot and the recently rolling production of Tangled starring Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim.
Source: Deadline
