Look out boys, The Princess and the Frog is coming through! The word on the street is that the characters from the 2009 favorite could be part of one of the live-action upcoming Disney movies. And fans are already shouting out their ideas for who should play the main roles in this reported flick. It's early but, so far, there are some great picks!
Per a new report from Deadline, Colman Domingo is in talks to write “an original live-action feature” about Princess Tiana. It’s being called a “spinoff” rather than a remake. He would pen the script alongside Tony-nominated playwright and director Robert O’Hara for Walt Disney Studios. Amidst the news, Disney devotees took to X to fancast the potential live-action movie. As one fan loudly suggested (and they aren’t the only one):
CAST COCO JONES AS TIANA
@americanrequiem on X
Of course, our live-action Tiana would be business item No. 1 given how iconic the Disney character is. She’s still our only Black Disney Princess, and entrepreneur! If you don’t know who Coco Jones is, she got her start on Disney Channel. The 28-year-old is an actress and singer who has since kicked off her own music career and has starred in Bel-Air. She's not the only actress who's been mentioned either. Here’s another great idea from a fan:
I need Jayme Lawson as Tiana pls.
@losersmode on X
Lawson most famously plays Pearline in the Oscar-winning Sinners (in which she also sang). So I'm not surprised at all that she's on fans' minds when it comes to a live-action The Princess and the Frog. The 28-year-old has also been in movies like The Batman, The Woman King and The Running Man. Additionally, I've seen a host of other names being thrown out by the public like Normani, Keke Palmer and Tessa Thompson.
But who should play Tiana’s prince, Naveen? Well, there’s one popular pick that keeps coming up amongst fans -- Michael star Jaafar Jackson! As one person put it:
NAVEEN JACKSON IS DEFINITELY COMING.
@JaylaC54546115 on X
The newcomer just blew audiences away as Michael Jackson (who's Jaafar's late uncle) in a movie so popular it has grossed over $1 billion dollars at the box office. Should this new Princess and the Frog movie be a musical like its predecessor, Jaafar clearly has the acting and singing chops to pull off the role of Naveen of Maldonia. I'd love to see the rising star take on another big musical role!
Also, there's the matter of whether or not the villainous Dr. Facilier could be revived for this film. That's far from a certainty right now, but it seems a few fans already have a built-in idea for who could play the voodoo practitioner. One said:
[COLMAN] is perfect for this role. Dr. Facilier, also known as the Shadow Man, is the main antagonist of Disney's The Princess and the Frog.
@ririmeds on X
Hey, if Colman Domingo is going to write this Princess And The Frog offshoot, he better lend his acting talents, too! He’d be incredible in the role of Facilier as he is in everything he does.
The Princess and the Frog fans previously suffered a sad blow when a Disney+ Princess and the Frog series was canceled. The status of the animated show, called Tiana, was uncertain for over four years before the general public learned of its fate.
In theory, this movie could be the best of both worlds, given it sounds like it would continue Tiana and Naveen’s stories. Perhaps Disney is learning some lessons about recycling the same story after the live-action Moana has been struggling at the box office? Tiana and Naveen are frogs for most of the original movie anyways, and a live-action movie with mostly CGI-animated frogs doesn’t sound like the right move.
We’ll be watching closely for more news about this The Princess and Frog movie. Until then, we know that the Tangled remake is currently in production and a sequel to the live-action Lilo & Stitch is also on the way. Fans can also revisit TPATF using a Disney+ subscription.
