If it ain't broke...
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures confirmed Monday that it is developing nine live-action movies. The announcement comes after the success of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book. Since its release on Apr. 15, the live-action adaptation of the studio's 1967 animated classic has earned $533 million at the global box office.
The House of Mouse's slate already includes two fairy tale tentpoles, Alice Through the Looking Glass (in theaters May 27, 2016) and Beauty and the Beast (in theaters March 17, 2017), as well as this summer's Pete's Dragon (in theaters Aug. 12, 2016). WDSMP also selected five new release dates Monday: July 28, 2017 (instead of Dec. 22, 2017); Apr. 6, 2018; Aug. 3, 2018; Dec. 25, 2018; and Dec. 20, 2019. The studio had already claimed other dates for two of its untitled live-action fairy tales: Nov. 2, 2018, and Nov. 8, 2019.
Had your fairy tale fill?
Projects on deck include Cruella, with Emma Stone set to star and Kelly Marcel writing; Dumbo, with Tim Burton directing and Ehren Kruger writing; Maleficent 2, with Angelina Jolie set to star and Linda Woolverton writing; A Wrinkle in Time, with Ava DuVernay attached to direct and Jennifer Lee writing; Jungle Cruise, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson set to star and John Requa and Glenn Ficarra writing; a Mary Poppins sequel set to star Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, with director Rob Marshall; The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, with Lasse Hallström directing and Ashleigh Powell writing; The Jungle Book 2, with Jon Favreau directing and writer Justin Marks writing; and a Tinker Bell project with Reese Witherspoon set to star and Victoria Strouse writing.
Some films will receive release dates in the coming months; some films may not get greenlit at all.
Since the release of Alice in Wonderland in 2010 (which earned $1.025 billion worldwide), the studio has been putting its faith in live-action re-imaginings of its most beloved animated tales. Maleficent, a well reviewed adaptation of Sleeping Beauty told from the villain's perspective, earned $758.5 million in 2014. Cinderella also earned raves—and $542.7 million—in 2015.