Disney’s Live-Action “Robin Hood” Remake Is “Dead,” Says Director
Disney, unfortunately, won’t be moving forward with its live-action take on “Robin Hood.” Walt Disney Studios’ animated take on the Robin Hood myth premiered in 1973 and featured anthropomorphic animals as Robin Hood and his band of merry men. In April 2020, Disney announced that it was working on a live-action remake of “Robin Hood,” with filmmaker Carlos López Estrada set to direct.
Despite the success of other Disney live-action remakes like “The Lion King” and “Lilo & Stitch,” Estrada recently revealed that Disney was not moving forward with their “Robin Hood” remake. The remake was originally set to premiere on Disney+, which could be part of the reason why it’s no longer happening. Disney seems to be prioritizing big-screen releases of its iconic animated films.
Perhaps they feared “Robin Hood” would not have the same success as something like “The Lion King” or “Beauty and the Beast.” Whatever the reason, it’s unfortunate that Disney’s live-action take on “Robin Hood” is no longer happening, but Disney fans have plenty of other upcoming releases to look forward to.
Disney’s Live-Action “Robin Hood” Remake Is No Longer Happening
In a recent Reddit AMA, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on March 6, 2026, Estrada wrote that the remake was “dead,” adding that he “thought there was something really special (and original!) there.” The film, which would have featured a script written by Kari Granlund, was set to be a mix of live-action and CGI.
Estrada also added that the live-action “Robin Hood” would have had “some truly extraordinary music,” and it’s a shame we will likely never get to hear it. With a charming fox as the titular Robin Hood, Disney’s original version of the classic tale is a lot of fun, but now we’ll probably never know if a live-action version would have worked quite as well.
Disney Continues To Push Live-Action Remakes & Sequels
Despite the cancellation of “Robin Hood,” Disney is not slowing down when it comes to other live-action remakes. A live-action remake of “Moana” directed by Thomas Kail hits theaters on July 10, 2026, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role of Maui and Catherine Lagaʻaia taking on the role of Moana.
A live-action version of “Tangled” is also in development, as is Guy Ritchie’s take on “Hercules” and a spin-off of “Beauty and the Beast” focused on the villainous Gaston.
While some previous live-action remakes, like “Snow White,” somewhat underperformed at the box office, others, like “Lilo & Stitch,” did quite well. It remains to be seen which live-action remakes will prove to be major successes for Disney moving forward.
Do We Really Need More Live-Action Remakes?
While some fans may want more original films from Disney, it’s hard to argue with box office results. Many of Disney’s live-action remakes and sequels performed well, while original films like “Raya and the Last Dragon” failed to take off, despite many positive reviews from critics.
Thankfully, Disney (and Disney/Pixar) continues to make their fair share of original content, too, like Pixar’s “Hoppers,” which is currently playing in theaters and garnering mostly positive reviews.
With classics like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” it’s difficult for a live-action remake to improve on the original, but it can still be fun to see these characters brought to life in live-action or realistic CGI.
As long as these live-action remakes keep making money, Disney will keep making them. And that isn’t all bad. It might mean we get to see Kathryn Hahn as “Tangled’s” villainous Mother Gothel, which can only be a good thing.
