Disney has released the first trailer for Disney’s Cruella, the live-action adaptation of 101 Dalmations starring Emma Stone.
Stone will portray Cruella de Vil circa the 1970s, and the film will delve into her life prior to her penchant for terrorizing the puppies of London, as was depicted in the 1961 animated original film.
“The thing is, I was born brilliant. Born bad — and a little bit mad,” Stone’s Cruella says in the trailer as you can see below:
The film also stars Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry as Cruella’s henchmen Horace and Jasper, and Emma Thompson as the Baroness, the head of a fashion house where our budding villainess gets a job. Having been announced in 2013 and cast its leading lady in 2016, the project has had a long journey to the screen, passing between multiple writers before Dana Fox and Tony McNamara wrote the final version of the screenplay.
The Walt Disney Company releases Cruella on May 28.
While Disney has been tight-lipped about plot details, Cruella will take place before the events of 101 Dalmatians and will be set in the 1970s London fashion scene.
While fellow live-action remakes of Disney cartoons Mulan, Pinocchio and Peter Pan and Wendy have opted for streaming premieres, Disney still plans on Cruella making a theatrical debut despite earlier reports that Disney was considering sending Cruella to its Disney+ streaming platform.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Cruella stars Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, Joel Fry and Emily Beecham. It is scheduled to release in theaters on May 28.
Disney may have found a lead for its live-action Lilo & Stitch. Sixteen year-old actress Siena Agudong is said to be set to star in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated classic, according to a report.
Siena Agudong is already known to Disney audiences as her latest project had her playing Reina Carvajal in the new Disney Channel original movie Upside Down Magic.
The news comes acter Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu was reported last week to be in talks to direct Disney’s Live-action adaptation.
“I have heard the studio has tapped 16-year-old Hawaiian actress Siena Agudong to play Lilo in the updated film, which is said to follow the same concept as the animated film,” The DisInsider said in a report.
The story of “Lilo and Stitch” is set in Hawaii and tells the story of a lonely young girl and her close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial who she mistakes for a dog. Through her love, faith and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch’s heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.
“Lilo & Stitch” has inspired multiple spinoffs, including the direct-to-video sequels “Stitch: The Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch” and “Leroy and Stitch.” A TV show called “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” ran on Disney Channel and ABC Kids from 2003 to 2006.
Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who workied on the live-action remake of “Aladdin,” will be producing and the studio has hired Mike Van Waes to write the script. The production will be a hybrid of live-action and CG.
A sequel to 2019’s photorealistic version of The Lion King is in the works, and Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Barry Jenkins is set to direct.
Details are scarce but the film is rumoured to delve deeper into the mythology of the characters including Mufasa’s origin story, continuing the story first brought to the screen in the 1994 animated adventure.
Jenkins took to twitter to confirm the news as you can see in the post below:
This.
Yes, THIS👇🏿
‘The Lion King’ Sequel Set With ‘Moonlight’ Director Barry Jenkins To Helm For Walt Disney Studios https://t.co/Ev7Obi8Km8 via @Deadline
“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the 90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a later statement. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”
The film will continue with the photo-realistic technology that director Jon Favreau used in the 2019 film and 2016’s The Jungle Book. There is no release date set for The Lion King follow-up or for the production start, but it is understandably a top priority for Sean Bailey’s division after the last film grossed $1.6 billion worldwide.
Disney reportedly cast “Grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi to play Tinker Bell in its upcoming live-action adaptation of “Peter Pan.”
Shahidi will be the first woman of colour to take on the iconic role of the character, previously assumed by Julia Roberts in 1991’s Hook and Ludivine Sagnier in 2003’s Peter Pan.
The 20-year-old actress seemingly confirmed the news on Instagram Friday, sharing a picture of Tinker Bell drawn as a Black woman as you can see in th post below:
“Thank you for all of the love. It, truly, means so much to me,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m excited for this next adventure!”
She also shared a photo of herself dressed in green and wrote, “lettssssgooooo #Tinkerbell.”
Shahidi is best known for her starring role on ABC’s “Black-ish,” as well as being a star and producer of Freeform’s “Grown-ish.” The actor and activist recently signed an overall deal with ABC Studios. On the film side, Shahidi recently led the YA drama “The Sun Is Also a Star.”
Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson are set to take flight with Shahidi’s Tinker Bell as the two titular children in Peter Pan and Wendy, while Jude Law has been tapped to play Captain Hook in the upcoming movie, which will be directed by David Lowery and produced by Jim Whitaker from a script co-written by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks.
Disney’s Live-Action Remake Machine is in high gear! The studios has already turned out several successful remakes of their animated films, including Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Maleficent, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book and The Lion King and it doesn’t look like they are stopping anytime soon.
Disney’s proved winning model of remaking its animated hits already has several films in the can and is reportedly working on many more. We’ve put together a list of every Live-Action Remake Disney is currently working on or rumored to be in production.
Keep scrolling to see if your favorite Disney classic is getting the live-action treatment.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang is reportedly writing the movie, and Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are said to be doing the music. Josh Gad is also reportedly producing the film.
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.
ROBIN HOOD
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.
HERCULES
The 1997 animated film about the son of Zeus will get a live-action remake. “Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo will produce, but not direct, the film.
The live-action remake reportedly has a star-studded cast—and that’s no lie. In November, reports that TomHanks is set to play the famous puppet’s father, Geppetto surfaced.
PETER PAN
You won’t need faith, trust or pixie dust to see this remake. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter claimed David Lowery is working on a new version of the 1953 classic. While a live-action film has yet to fly into theaters, fans can always watch other versions, like Hook, in the meantime.
SNOW WHITE
In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter claimed The Girl on the Train’sErin Cressida was in negotiations to make a live-action remake of Snow White. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul—from La La Land—were also allegedly set to work on the music. However, a film has yet to be released. So, we’ll just have to see if it will be the fairest of them all.
THE SWORD IN THE STONE
Last year, news broke that Juan Carlos Fresnadillo would direct the remake about a young King Arthur and his magical mentor Merlin. Game of Thrones‘ Bryan Cogman was also reported to be working on the script.
One of Disney’s famous villains is back. While Glenn Close played Cruella de Vil in the 1996 live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians, Emma Stone is reportedly set to take on the role in Cruella.
These films are all either in production or rumored to be in early stages of development. If your favorite classic animated Disney movie isn’t on the list then just wait, because it seems that they are on a mission to remake them all! Which one are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments!
A live-action remake of Disney’s 2001 animated classic, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is in the early stages of development by The Walt Disney Pictures according to reports.
Evidently, Disney intends to “stick fairly close to the animated film,” and it seems that Holland is being eyed to play the role of geeky Smithsonian cartographer Milo Thatch, initially voiced by Michael J. Fox in the 2001 animated version, according to MovieWeb.
The movie is in the early stages of development by Walt Disney Pictures, according to a source at The Illuminerdi. There are not many details about the movie and there is no report on who is being considered as the director and who will be cast in the film.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire follows an inexperienced young adventurer becomes the key to unraveling an ancient mystery when he joins up with a group of daredevil explorers to find the legendary lost empire of Atlantis. A naive-but-determined museum cartographer Milo Thatch dreams of completing the quest begun by his late grandfather, a famous explorer. When a journal surfaces, an eccentric billionaire funds an expedition, and the action shifts to high gear.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American animated science-fantasy action-adventure film created by Walt Disney Feature Animation, marking the 41st entry in Disney’s animated features canon and its first science-fiction film.
Disney is now developing 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella, starring Emma Stone and set for release in 2021, and The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods). Disney first releases its Angelina Jolie-starring Maleficent sequel, Mistress of Evil, Oct. 18 before debuting the live-action Mulan March 27, 2020.
Disney is once again going from zero to hero with another live-action remake. The studio is in early development of a live-action remake of its 1997 animated movie “Hercules.”
No director has been attached yet, and casting is still a ways off, but Hercules seems like an obvious choice to join Disney’s ever-growing list of live-action remakes.
There have also been casting rumors in recent weeks, partially spurred on by Ariana Grande’s performance of the movie’s “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” during The Disney Family Singalong, which engendered a petition on Change.org for her to play Megara, the female lead. Also, Idris Elba and Ryan Gosling’s names have also been floated by enthusiasts.
Anthony and Joe Russo are producing and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings screenwriter David Callaham tapped to write.
The original “Hercules” followed the title demigod as a youngster (voiced by Tate Donovan) who has to prove he’s worthy of hanging with the gods on Mount Olympus and runs afoul of the evil fast-talking king of the underworld, Hades (James Woods).
“Hercules” was Disney’s prime 1997 summer animated toon grossing $99.1M domestic, and over $153M world wide.
Disney has been turning out live-action remakes like a machine and now the company has announced that it is the early production phase of making a live-action version of the 1973 movie-musical version of ‘Robin Hood’ which is to be released on Disney+.
The new version is being developed with the animals in a CGI/live-action hybrid format, similar to Disney remakes of “The Jungle Book” and “Dumbo.” The deals for Estrada and Granlund were signed early last month prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 1973 “Robin Hood” — produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman — was centered on the classic story of Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Hood, portrayed as a fox, led the fight against Prince John’s excessive taxation. Little John was depicted as a bear, Friar Tuck as a badger, Prince John as a lion, the sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf and Maid Marian as a vixen.
Carlos Lopez Estrada, perhaps best known for directing the 2018 crime movie Blindspotting, is on board to helm the project, which is being written by Kari Granlund. Granlund already is in the Disney fold after having written the studio’s recent remake of Lady and the Tramp.
Justin Springer, who counts the studio’s Dumboand Tron Legacy among his credits, is producing the feature being developed for the studio’s Disney+ streaming service.
No one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston and no one gets a new tv series like Gaston either. That’s right! A new Beauty & The Beast prequel series to the 2017 Disney live-action feature film, with stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans set to reprise their roles, could be coming to Disney+.
Streaming service Disney+ is teaming with Once Upon a Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz as well as stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans for a Beauty and the Beast prequel limited series to the 2017 feature film in which the latter pair starred.
The untitled limited series will be a six-episode musical event, with composer Alan Menken in talks to return as well. Sources say the project, which is currently in the early development stage, will take place well before the events of the film and also expand the Beauty and the Beast universe. No other stars from the film — like Emma Watson and Dan Stevens — are currently attached, though sources say there is a possibility that they could pop in for a guest spot.
The 2017 Beauty and the Beast film, directed by Bill Condon, grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Kevin Kline also starred.
