Disney Announces Release Dates of Four Live-Action Fairy Tales, Here’s What They Could Be
If you’re tired of Disney remaking classics into live-action features, you might want to skip out on the movies for the next five years. If you’re into it, clear your calendars.
On Thursday, Disney announced a slate of 19 upcoming films with release dates through 2020. In addition to Marvel’s Ant-Man 2, three untitled Marvel movies and the release date for The Incredibles 2, Disney also revealed dates for four new live-action fairy tales. According to Variety, the untitled fairy tales will be released on December 22, 2017, November 2, 2018, March 29, 2019 and November 8, 2019. But what could these untitled movies be?
After the success of Disney’s Maleficent and Cinderella reboots, the studio has already announced a handful of live-action remakes of their animated classics. Based on what’s in development, we have a pretty good idea what may come on those four release dates.
One of the first live-action films Disney announced that has yet to get a release date is Tim Burton’s Dumbo, which will be a mix of live-action and CGI. There’s also the studio’s remake of Mulan, which has already garnered controversy over concerns of not casting an Asian actress in the titular role. However, Jenna Ushkowitz of Glee has reportedly been rumored for the role. With an unabashed love for the 1998 animated Mulan, we’re really hoping this reboot comes sooner than later. Next up may be Disney’s Peter Pan spin-off Tink starring Reese Witherspoon as the fairy dust-loving Tinker Bell.
But there’s more! Alex Ross Perry is writing the upcoming live-action take on Winnie the Pooh. There’s a Pinocchio remake in the works from About a Boy writer Peter Hedges (not to be confused with the Warner Bros. Pinocchio from Paul Thomas Anderson). Disney is turning the Fantasia sequence Night on Bald Mountain (the one with the terrifying winged creature) into a movie. Prince Charming from Cinderella will also get his own spin-off and will be played by Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden. Disney is also working on a live-action prequel to Aladdin titled Genies, which is the origin story of Robin Williams’ Genie from the 1992 film. The film is said to also lead in to an eventual live-action Aladdin (because why not).
But because those aren’t enough, the studio is also planning to turn Chip ‘n Dale into real-life characters, somehow, as an origin story for Rescue Rangers, and a live-action Sword in the Stone from Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman.
Four of those five million live-action renditions will likely open on the four release dates. But if you can’t wait, there’s a few upcoming live-action Disney remakes coming soon. Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book opens on April 16, 2016, the sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, Alice: Through the Looking Glass, on May 27, 2016, Pete’s Dragon on August 12, 2016 and the Beauty and the Beast remake with Emma Watson opening March 17, 2017. Are you totally over live-action remakes yet? Same. Excuse me while I rewatch The Fox and the Hound and pray Disney leaves the perfect 1981 sob fest alone.