Disney's live-action remake slate has had a rough stretch lately, but the studio isn't slowing down. According to Deadline, two-time Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo is in talks to co-write an original live-action movie inspired by Disney's The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Domingo is expected to work alongside playwright and director Robert O'Hara. That said, the project is still in its earliest stages — deals have not yet been finalized, and no cast or release date has been announced.

This Isn't a Scene-for-Scene Remake

Here's what makes this project stand out from Disney's recent live-action efforts: it's not a direct remake. Rather than recreating the animated film beat for beat — the way Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Little Mermaid (2023), and Moana (2026) did — this project is reportedly being developed as a spin-off that expands Tiana's world.

The approach has been compared to Gaston, another live-action Disney work-in-progress centered on a character from Beauty and the Beast (though apparently not starring Luke Evans, who played the role in 2017). The idea is to revisit Tiana and the world of New Orleans while telling an entirely original story — meaning a new actor won't be asked to recreate Anika Noni Rose's performance moment by moment.

Domingo brings extensive experience as a playwright and producer, while O'Hara is established as both a writer and director. Their combined backgrounds suggest Disney may be aiming for something more distinctive than another straightforward retread.

A Quick Refresher on the Original Film

Released in 2009, The Princess and the Frog follows Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), a New Orleans waitress with dreams of opening her own restaurant. After kissing the cursed Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), she too is transformed into a frog, sending the pair on an adventure through the Louisiana bayou in search of a cure.

The film was one of Disney Animation's final traditionally animated theatrical features. It earned $267 million worldwide against a reported $105 million budget and received three Academy Award nominations. It was widely praised for its animation, its music, and for introducing Disney's first Black princess. Tiana's ambition also set her apart from earlier Disney heroines — her restaurant dream drives the story long before romance enters the picture.

Reception wasn't entirely without criticism, however. Some viewers took issue with the fact that Disney's first Black princess spends much of her own film as a frog, while others questioned the film's portrayal of Louisiana Voodoo and its softened depiction of race in 1920s New Orleans. Even so, Tiana built a devoted following over the years.

Tiana's World Has Been Growing Beyond the Movie

Disney had originally planned to continue Tiana's story through an animated Disney+ series, announced back in 2020, which was expected to pick up after the events of the film. Those plans were scrapped in 2025 when Disney Animation pulled back from long-form streaming projects. A short-form special was announced as a replacement, though Disney has offered few public updates since.

The parks, meanwhile, have moved much more quickly. Tiana's Palace opened at Disneyland in 2023, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure replaced Splash Mountain at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in 2024. The attraction continues Tiana's story rather than retelling it — she's now a successful restaurateur preparing to host a Mardi Gras celebration and searching the bayou for musicians. While the ride sparked some controversy among Disney fans, it remains a popular choice at both parks.

The Context: A Tough Moment for Disney's Princess Remakes

The timing of this announcement is worth noting. Moana opened earlier this month with $43 million domestically and $95 million worldwide — a weak start for a production reportedly costing around $250 million. Critics pointed to the remake's close adherence to the 2016 animated film as a key problem, leaving audiences with little reason to see a story already available on Disney+.

That stumble came just over a year after Snow White (2025), another costly princess remake that struggled to justify its changes, finishing with approximately $206 million worldwide against a reported production budget of roughly $269 million.

Both films illustrate the difficult balance Disney faces: recreate an animated classic too faithfully and the new version feels unnecessary; change too much and audiences may feel the film abandoned what they loved in the first place.

A spin-off approach could offer Disney a third path. By retaining Tiana, the New Orleans setting, and the atmosphere of The Princess and the Frog without directly remaking it, the project sidesteps constant comparisons to the original. It could also give Tiana significantly more human screen time — addressing one of the animated film's most persistent criticisms.

For now, the project remains far from a sure thing. Domingo and O'Hara are only in talks, no cast has been confirmed, and Disney has not announced a release date. But after the cancellation of Tiana's Disney+ series and the disappointing launches of Snow White and Moana, an original story may well be Disney's most promising route back to its princess catalog.

What do you think of Disney's new Tiana project? Let us know in the comments!