Disney’s next live-action remake of an animated classic is Robin Hood

Adaptations of the Robin Hood story are common, that a new one will come out by the time you finish reading this sentence. Many of these fresh spins don’t end up being very good either, with the most recent Otto Bathurst directed Robin Hood starring  Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx coming off as a bit of a disappointment both with critics and audiences alike.

This hasn’t stopped people from continuing to be interested in this timeless tale of a bandit stealing from the rich to give back to the poor and now Disney wants to make a Robin Hood movie of their own. Rather than being a completely new retelling of the story, Disney is instead going to be doing another one of their popular live-action animated adaptations and adapt their 1973 animated film into a live-action/CGI film instead.

Disney’s take on the popular story took place in a world of anthropomorphic animals, including Robin as a fox and Little John as a bear. It was a popular film during the 1970s, largely thanks to its infectious characters and earworm songs like “Oo De Lally” (Sung by Alan-A-Dale who also voiced the Rooster in the film). Despite its popularity back then, it’s not one of Disney’s most iconic films, and few people may even remember the movie which means that the time is probably right for a remake. Unlike some of the other Disney adaptations which are far more popular and recent.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney’s Robin Hood remake is currently being developed as a Disney+ exclusive under Kari Granlund, who also wrote the streaming service’s live-action Lady and the Tramp and directed the 2018 drama Blindspotting. The film will take heavy inspiration from the original animated film, meaning not only can we expect the characters and their animals to be the same, but that we could expect large parts of the tone and story to remain in place along with some of the same musical numbers as well. No doubt Disney will have a few plans to do things differently too, but with their live-action remakes proving so successful, it’s unlikely they will want to shake up the formula too much.

Perhaps more interesting is that Disney is choosing to target this movie for a Disney+ release. Another indicator that Disney is starting to take its streaming platform more seriously with more and more films receiving an online-only release. Considering that Robin Hood is one of those films which could’ve had a big box office appeal, it’s a fascinating move from Disney.

Last Updated: April 14, 2020