Over the past decade-and-a-half, there have been a lot of great Disney live-action remakes like The Lion King, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and nearly a dozen other reinterpretations of the studio’s animated classics, and that trend doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, it appears as if Disney is doubling down on the practice with some of its all-time greats and modern gems getting the live-action treatment in the coming months and years.
We already have a full rundown of all the upcoming Disney movies, which includes everything from all those soon-to-be-released Marvel films to Pixar’s in-the-works projects, and much more, but there’s no such thing as too much Disney. That being said, here are the upcoming live-action Disney remakes we can expect to see soon.
Mufasa: The Lion King - December 20, 2024
Jon Favreau’s 2019 “live-action” remake of The Lion King will soon pull off what the 1994 animated classic of the same name never achieved: a sequel/prequel on the big screen. In December 2024, Barry Jenkins will bring the long-awaited Mufasa: The Lion King to audiences around the world with a movie that is both a prequel and sequel exploring the relationship between Mufasa and Scar years before the plotting brother killed the king of Pride Rock.
The movie, which sounds rather exciting, will see Old standout Aaron Pierre taking on the role made famous by James Earl Jones 30 years earlier, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. taking over as the character famously played by Jeremy Irons in the 1994 original and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2019 remake. Expect to hear much more about Mufasa: The Lion King as we get closer to its December 20, 2024 release.
Snow White - March 21, 2025
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first theatrical release from Walt Disney Animation Studios, will finally get the live-action treatment in March 2024 with the premiere of Marc Webb’s musical fantasy film, Snow White. With West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes actress Rachel Zegler taking on the role of the iconic titular character, and Gal Gadot stepping in as the Evil Queen, the upcoming feature, co-written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, will surely be a treat for audiences of all ages.
Though there have been some delays, we do know that the upcoming Snow White will be opening in theaters on March 21, 2025.
Moana - July 10, 2026
Everyone excited for the upcoming Moana 2 (it hits theaters on November 27, 2024) should take note, as the long-awaited live-action adaptation of the 2016 animated Disney sensation will take to the big screen a little more than 18 months later. Though not a ton of details have been announced at this point, the movie appears to be a full-on remake of the musical that gave us hits like “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome,” which will be great to see.
Dwayne Johnson, who provided the voice of Maui in the 2016 original, announced in April 2023 that his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, was in the process of bringing the project to life and that he would once again be showing up as Maui. And while Auli'i Cravalho won’t be returning to play Moana in the remake, Johnson has teased that the global search for her replacement has been very exciting. Hopefully, we’ll know more before the film’s July 10, 2026 rollout.
Cruella 2 - TBD
Two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone helped breathe new life into the 101 Dalmatians villain with the 2021 live-action prequel, Cruella, and fans have been clamoring for a sequel ever since. Well, the world may be waiting a bit longer than expected for Cruella 2, as Stone has revealed that it is still a work in progress. When speaking with Variety at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in May 2024, the Poor Things star said the shooting would begin “hopefully sooner rather than later.”
She didn’t offer any details about the planned sequel or where the franchise is going, but hopefully, we’ll know more about this live-action project “sooner rather than later,” as Stone put it.
Hercules - TBD
Though it won’t be a direct remake of the 1997 animated movie of the same name, Guy Ritchie’s live-action Hercules will have some shared elements, according to producers Joe and Anthony Russo. At this time, we don’t know much about the movie’s cast, plot, or even when it will be released, the Russo Brothers told Total Film (via GamesRadar) in May 2024 that they were still waiting on a script for the long-in-the-works project.
Bambi - TBD
The 1942 animated classic, Bambi, is another beloved Disney project that is slated to receive a live-action remake. The project, which was first announced back in early 2020, is being co-written by Captain Marvel scribe Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsay Beer, who wrote the 2020 Tom Holland sci-fi adventure film, Chaos Walking. Outside of Sarah Polley announcing in March 2024 that she was no longer planning to direct the movie, per The Wrap, there haven’t been any major updates on the project in the past few years, but be on the lookout in the future.
Robin Hood - TBD
In April 2020, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that there was a live-action remake of the 1973 animated film, Robin Hood, in the works as a Disney+ exclusive. The project, which is set to be helmed by Blindspotting director Carlos Lopez Estrada and written by Lady and the Tramp scribe Kari Granlund, will reportedly be a musical and feature a combination of live-action and CGI similar to 2019's The Lion King.
Lilo & Stitch - TBD
One of the more modern Disney animated movies that people want to see get the live-action treatment, Lilo & Stitch will soon get a fresh coat of paint. The Lilo & Stitch remake, which is being directed by Marcel the Shell with Shoes On co-creator Dean Fleischer Camp and written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, is sort of a mystery project at this point, but it won’t be that way for long.
The Lilo & Stitch cast, which features Chris Sanders, Mala Kealoha, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, and Sydney Agudong, is something longtime fans of the 2002 classic have been waiting on for a very long time, but maybe we won’t have to wait that much longer.
The Aristocats - TBD
The Disney live-action remake trend will continue into the foreseeable future with movies like The Aristocats, which will be directed by none other than Summer of Soul Oscar winner Questlove. With the longtime drummer of The Roots behind the camera and leading the creative charge, the 1970 musical about singing cats (no, not like that 2019 horror show) could very well be one of the most exciting upcoming projects from the House of Mouse.
We’re still early in the game, but expect to hear a lot more about The Aristocats in the coming months.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame - TBD
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the 1996 adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, will be getting a remake of its own at some point, only this time it will be a live-action spectacle. First announced back in 2019, the movie hasn’t had a whole lot of progress since then, but Josh Gad did share with his Instagram followers in March 2023 that the film’s script was “one of the best” he has ever read. Besides that, and a fake poster with several A-listers attached, we’re still in the dark about this long-in-the-works project.
Expect to hear much more about all of these exciting Disney live-action remakes in the coming weeks, months, and possibly years. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of the 2024 movie schedule so you don’t miss out on any of the big-screen action while you wait.
