Disney is developing a live-action film centered on Princess Tiana, with Colman Domingo and theater director Robert O'Hara in early talks to co-write the screenplay, according to Deadline and Variety. O'Hara is also attached to direct.
The project is framed as an original spin-off rather than a direct remake of the 2009 animated feature "The Princess and the Frog." Whether the story unfolds before or after the events of the original is not yet determined. Deals remain in early stages.
Domingo and O'Hara are long-standing collaborators: O'Hara directed the New York premiere of Domingo's own play "Wild With Happy," and he earned a Tony nomination for directing Jeremy O. Harris' "Slave Play" on Broadway in 2020. For Domingo, the Tiana project extends a formidable slate of work in development. He is also writing, directing, and starring in "Unforgettable," a Nat King Cole biopic.
Released in 2009, "The Princess and the Frog" was Disney's final traditionally hand-drawn animated feature and the studio's first film with a Black princess as its central character. Disney's live-action division is expanding its scope beyond direct remakes, with a "Tangled" adaptation and a "Lilo & Stitch" sequel also in development.
