Disney is reportedly lining up serious writing talent for a live-action film built around Princess Tiana, but the whole thing currently rests on talks that have not yet turned into deals. Colman Domingo and Robert O’Hara are in negotiations to co-write an original feature inspired by The Princess and the Frog, according to a report from Variety, which corroborated Deadline’s exclusive. Disney has not formally announced anything, and every project-specific detail here comes from industry sources rather than a studio statement.
What is actually being reported?
The core claim is that Domingo and O’Hara are in talks to co-write an original, Tiana-centric live-action film — and that is where the certainty ends. Reports consistently describe the project as “in the works” with deals still to close, and there is no confirmed cast, director, production start, or release date. Trade coverage frames it as a spinoff of the 2009 animated feature rather than a scene-for-scene remake, in the mould of Disney’s planned Beauty and the Beast spinoff Gaston.
That distinction is worth holding onto, because it changes what this film would be. A spinoff gives the writers room to build a new story around Tiana rather than re-photographing an existing one, which matters when the writers in question have backgrounds in original, socially engaged theatre rather than franchise maintenance.
Why bring in Domingo and O’Hara?
The pairing signals that Disney wants writing muscle, not just a familiar name attached to a poster. Domingo is a two-time Oscar nominee, for Rustin and Sing Sing, and he has real credits as a writer: he wrote the book for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and co-produced the Tony-nominated Fat Ham. He also picked up two Emmy nominations this year, for Netflix’s Four Seasons and HBO’s Euphoria — the latter a category he has already won.
O’Hara brings his own theatre pedigree, having earned a 2020 Tony nomination for directing the Broadway production of Slave Play, alongside plays including Bootycandy. Between them, that is a distinctly prestige, character-first sensibility being pointed at Disney’s first Black princess, a property rooted in 1920s New Orleans jazz and blues. Domingo’s ongoing run in the awards conversation was reflected in this year’s Emmy nominations.
How Tiana fits Disney’s live-action strategy
A live-action Tiana would slot into a Disney pipeline that keeps churning out remakes and spinoffs despite mixed results. Projects reported to be in the works include a live-action Tangled shooting under Michael Gracey, the Cinderella spinoff Stepsisters, Lilo & Stitch 2, and Impossible Creatures.
The strategy remains a business even when individual titles miss. The recent live-action Moana came in well under expectations with a $43M US/Canada opening, a stumble our colleagues at IGN Middle East covered in detail when the film bombed at the box office. But last year’s live-action Lilo & Stitch grossed more than $1 billion, and that kind of hit keeps the whole approach viable. The original Princess and the Frog, Disney’s last hand-drawn animated feature, grossed around $267 million worldwide and earned three Oscar nominations, so Tiana is a proven property — which is precisely why Disney would revisit her now. The sensible read: promising talent, genuinely interesting framing, and absolutely nothing to book a cinema seat for yet.
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