Oscar nominee Colman Domingo and acclaimed playwright-director Robert O’Hara are in talks to write Disney’s planned live-action film centred on Princess Tiana, according to Variety.
The project remains in the early stages of development. Rather than being a direct remake, it is described as an original story inspired by Disney’s 2009 animated hit The Princess and the Frog.
The original film featured Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Tiana. Set in 1920s New Orleans, the musical follows an ambitious waitress who dreams of owning a restaurant. Her life changes when she sets out to help transform a frog prince back into a human, only to become a frog herself after kissing him.
The Princess and the Frog earned $267 million at the worldwide box office and received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Animated Feature and two Best Original Song nominations for Randy Newman’s Almost There and Down in New Orleans.
Although Disney’s planned spin-off series did not move forward, the popularity of Princess Tiana has endured. The studio recently reimagined its Splash Mountain attraction as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
The proposed film comes during a busy year for Domingo. His recent projects include Michael, which has surpassed $1 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing musical biopic in history, as well as Disclosure Day, The Four Seasons and Euphoria. His performances in the latter two series also earned him Emmy nominations.
While accepting Variety’s Creative Conscience Award last month, Domingo reflected on how his career has evolved.
“I’m being seen now in a way that I’ve always wanted to be seen, which was a multi-hyphenate,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to just be an actor. I’ve always wanted to act, write, direct and produce.”
Later this year, Domingo is due to begin work on the Nat King Cole biopic Unforgettable, where he will serve as director, producer and lead actor.
O’Hara, who received a Tony Award nomination for directing Slave Play in 2020, previously collaborated with Domingo on the stage production Wild With Happy, presented by The Public Theater in 2012.
Disney declined to comment on the reported development.
