Disney Confirms Jungle Book 2, Maleficent 2 & More; Claims Release Dates 

Walt Disney Studios’ newly adapted practice of remaking/re-imagining properties from its animated filmography into live-action/CGI movies has proven quite lucrative to date, as illustrated by the strong box office performances of 

. Similar to how the Disney-owned Lucasfilm and Marvel Studio have their own film release slates planned out years ahead, the Mouse House has claimed multiple dates for its live-action films on through to 2019 to offset the release of the company’s in-studio original animated films, as well as upcoming Pixar animated movies, Lucasfilm’s

 movies, and Marvel’s superhero tentpoles/comic book film adaptations.

Several Disney live-action fairy tale films have been reported as being in some stage of development over the past few years, with the films ranging from the somewhat expected (a live-action/CGI version of

movie about the title character’s not-so-charming brother). Disney has now formally confirmed that a number of those films are, in fact, moving forward, and has claimed additional release dates for them too.

Disney has now claimed new theatrical release dates for “Untitled Disney Fairy Tale (Live-Action)” movies in 2017 on July 28th (the previously-set date was December 22nd, but it has naturally been moved now that

is set to arrive in December 2017 instead); in 2018 on April 6th, August 3rd, and December 25th; and in 2019 on December 20th. All five of these dates will eventually be assigned to select live-action fairy tales movies from a list of titles now confirmed to be making their way down the pipeline at the Mouse House – all of which we have likewise reported on at some point in the past four to five years but again, are now

Here are the live-action films that Disney has confirmed are moving forward – a collection of titles that includes sequels, remakes of animated films, and other IP adaptations alike:

director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks will also work on the followup.

re-telling. Angelina Jolie will reprise as the eponymous character, with

, the adaptation of the Madeleine L’Engle fantasy novel being written by Jennifer Lee (

, a Cruella de Vil-centered film starring Emma Stone (as the movie’s namesake) and scripted by

, a film adaptation of the popular Disney theme park attraction that has Dwayne Johnson attached to star, with Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (

, a live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film that Tim Burton will direct, based on a script by Ehren Kruger (

fairy tale that is being directed by Lasse Hallström (

There’s a fair chance that not all of the aforementioned live-action films will ultimately receive a green-light from Disney; seeing as there are currently only release dates for five of the listed movies on through to 2019, it’s possible one or more will in time fall off the tracks – especially if the box office returns for certain movies drop off significantly from the likes of

, a film that has very much benefited from positive word of mouth. Moreover, seeing as movies like

have been in active development longer than the others, odds are they will be among the first to reach theaters (along with films like

With all of that in mind: Disney has gotten off to a great start in 2016 by staggering the release dates for all of the films that fall under its umbrella (starting with

in April) and that looks to continue on through the remainder of the year – what with

launching in July, and so forth. Hence, it’s little wonder the studio is planning out a similar approach for the next 3-4 years, too, in order to always have a new “event” film hitting the market. Of course, if these films start to dip significantly in quality and moviegoers in turn start losing interest, then it will increase the risk of this strategy back-firing on the Mouse House. So it goes when you play this long-run game.

NEXT: What Will Marvel Replace Inhumans With in 2019?

Disney’s upcoming live-action fairy tale movie slate includes

on March 17th, 2017, as well as unannounced films on July 28th, 2017; April 6th, August 3rd, and December 25th in 2018; and December 20th, 2019.

TAGS: a wrinkle in time, Cruella, dumbo, jungle cruise, maleficent, maleficent 2, mary poppins 2, the jungle book, the jungle book 2, The Nutcracker, tinker bell

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