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Credit: Edited by Inside The MagicThe Walt Disney Company is committed to a controversial film style, which many fans have expressed backlash toward.
Last year, Disney released a live-action film in The Little Mermaid (2023), which did a solid $569.9 million at the box office. The movie served as the 21st live-action adaptation for the company and the 10th since the year 2018.
What Disney has seen with live-action remakes, honestly, is a mixed bag. The company has seen box office success with many, led by The Lion King (2019), which brought in an impressive $1.66 billion globally. In addition, it has to be noted that many live-action films– including Mulan (2020) and Dumbo (2019)– left much to be desired at the box office. Still, Disney has committed to the film style, with multiple projects announced and others being produced.
In a recent interview with Variety, Emma Stone confirmed that Cruella 2 was “a work in progress.”
“Hopefully sooner, rather than later,” she said, speaking of the sequel. “There’s a work-in-progress kind of thing going on. Yeah, yeah. We’ll see… She’s a blast, so we’ll see.”
Emma Stone says the #Cruella sequel is a “work in progress” and will begin shooting “hopefully sooner, rather than later.” https://t.co/C1Cjm8RD4R pic.twitter.com/Kfl1qk2oxV
— Variety (@Variety) January 5, 2024
While Disney hasn’t confirmed the project, it would make sense for the film to get a sequel. Cruella (2021) didn’t bring in massive numbers like The Lion King, but it was released in 2021 when movie theaters were still struggling. As a result of that, Disney treated the film as a hit and reportedly greenlit a sequel. Until now, though, we hadn’t heard any other confirmations about the sequel.
Cruella 2 isn’t the only live-action adaptation in the works.
Disney Live-Action Projects Being Developed
Disney confirmed last year that a live-action Moana would be produced. Dwayne Johnson shared that he would be returning to his role as Maui, but it was later revealed that the company would be finding another actress to play the role of Moana in the upcoming film. In addition, speculation has come forward that Disney will produce a sequel to The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey. Though this hasn’t been confirmed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this come to fruition.
Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) is confirmed to be released this year. The Lion King prequel will arrive in theaters on December 20, 2024.
In addition, Disney’s Snow White (2025), which was originally set to be released this spring, will now be released in the spring of 2025. The reason for the delay hasn’t been confirmed by Disney, but multiple reports indicate it is because of the backlash the film received over changes that veered from the original story.
Other Disney live-action films that are reportedly on the docket include Lilo & Stitch, Bambi, The Aristocats, Hercules, Robin Hood, and an untitled Maleficent film.
What do you think of Disney live-action films? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!