Princess Tiana may be heading back to Disney in a very different way. On Friday, July 17, Variety and Deadline both reported that Colman Domingo and Robert O'Hara are in talks to write a live-action movie built around Tiana, the lead from Disney's 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog.
It is a meaningful shift from where this character seemed to be headed before. In March 2025, Disney shelved the long-developing Tiana animated series for Disney+, which had been in the works for years. At the time, reporting said the company was still developing a shorter Tiana special. Now the conversation looks bigger again.
Why This Caught Attention So Fast
Tiana is not a side character Disney fans forgot about. The 2009 movie still carries weight because it introduced Disney's first Black princess, and because the audience has kept asking why the company has not done more with her on screen. The studio has kept the character visible through parks, books, and merchandise, but a full new film is a much louder move than a short-form streaming project.
People who followed the canceled Disney+ series immediately understood the twist: Tiana did not disappear, she may just be coming back in a format Disney takes more seriously right now. After Disney pulled back from some long-form streaming animation plans, a theatrical or live-action pivot feels easier to recognize inside the company's current strategy.
What Disney Has Not Said Yet
There is still an important limit on this story. As of Saturday, July 18, 2026, Disney has not made a full official announcement with a release date, cast list, director, or production start. The reporting only says Domingo and O'Hara are in talks. So this is not the same as Disney planting a flag and saying cameras are rolling next month.
Live-action Disney projects come with baggage now. Audiences do not react to these remakes and reworks as automatic wins anymore. If Disney is serious about Tiana, the studio will have to convince people this is a real creative plan for the character, not just another familiar title being pulled off the shelf.
Why Tiana Still Feels Worth Betting On
You can see the appeal immediately. Tiana has a clear identity, a recognizable setting in New Orleans, and a built-in audience that has spent years feeling like Disney never fully followed through after the original movie. A live-action film would also give Disney a chance to reintroduce the character to people who know the name but never formed a real connection to the animated release.
Tiana is not a character people want flattened into generic remake material. If this project moves forward, it has to remember what made her resonate in the first place: ambition, warmth, frustration, romance, music, and a story that felt tied to a real place instead of a vague fantasy kingdom.
