I'm All In On Disney's Latest Live-Action Reimagining Because Of How Hilarious It Could Be

We just got the latest look at the live-action Moana movie, and while I know a lot of Disney fans are excited about it, I’m starting to get bored of knowing what to expect from Walt Disney Studios’ slate. However, we also just got some news about another one of the upcoming Disney movies in development, and I'm very on board with the different approach the House of Mouse seems to be taking with a live-action reimagining.

Disney Just Hired Some Hilarious Writers For A Cinderella Spinoff

Walt Disney Studios is currently working on a Cinderella spinoff called Stepsisters, and they just hired one-third of the Lonely Island guys, Akiva Schaffer, to co-write the script and direct it, per Deadline. The report says that a script has been turned in by Michael Montemayor, but now Schaffer, along with his collaborators Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, will go in and “rework” it. Given those guys ability to make everything they touch is very funny, I’m going to guess they’re going to redress it into more of a comedy.

These are the names who just worked together on The Naked Gun, which was both an absolute blast to watch with an audience last summer and earned an impressive 4 out of 5 stars in our review. While I’m sort of surprised their next endeavor is a family-friendly Disney feature, I’m really excited about how this could refresh the studio's live-action slate.

As Someone Who’s Getting Stale On Live-Action Remakes, I’m Stoked

For a long time now, Walt Disney Studios has taken a pretty straightforward approach to its live-action films, which I find to be rather unimaginative and safe. I think audiences are ready for the company to try some more off-kilter ideas with their brand, and something like Akiva Schaffer’s take on Cinderella feels like a step in the right direction (pun intended).

I mean, we really haven’t seen an original live-action spinoff of this kind since maybe 2014’s Maleficent, and that was huge. Though I should note that we’re really not sure yet if this is the kind of movie that will be made for the big screen or for people with a Disney+ subscription. I would hope it’ll be an effort for cinemas, especially after Walt Disney Studios had a comedy win with the release of Freakier Friday.

I think the success of this will really come down to what talent they hire to play Anastasia and Drizella. But if they size things right, it could be a fun concept to have a movie be all about the evil stepsisters rather than Cinderella.

Outside of Stepsisters, we know the live-action Moana is on the 2026 movie schedule for July 10, Lilo & Stitch 2 is set for May 26, 2028, and a live-action Tangled is in the works. I’m crossing my fingers that Stepsisters does happen, because I want to laugh out loud over a live-action Disney movie now!