FromTerra Nova, toSaving Mr. Banks, toFifty Shades of Grey, screenwriterKelly Marcelhas been adding to her writing resume over the last few years, but her next project might just prove to be the biggest yet. Disney has set Marcel to script their live-action adaptation ofCruella, centering on the infamous villainess Cruella de Vil from the animated101 Dalmatiansmovie.Aline Brosh McKennapreviously worked on an earlier version of the script, but with Disney looking to fast-track the project, Marcel will now take a crack at it.
THR’sreport of Disney attaching Marcel to theCruellascript comes just after thestudio set quite a few new release dates. TheirUntitled Disney Fairy Talefilms, of which there are four, will be popping up between late 2017 and late 2019. Leading up to that list of currently untitled films, Disney will also be releasing other live-action fairy tale films includingJon Favreau’sThe Jungle Book(July 02, 2025),Tim Burton’ssequelAlice Through the Looking Glass(August 14, 2025) andBill Condon’sBeauty and the Beast(July 24, 2025).
Cruella is an interesting project with respect to the other fairy tales Disney has decided to adapt.Glenn Closealready portrayed the character in the live-action 1996 film101 Dalmatiansand its 2000 sequel; while those films performed marginally well at the box office, they weren’t critically well-received. Even if we’re just looking at box office numbers, Disney’s recent forays into live-action fairy tale territory include 2010’sAlice in Wonderlandwith north of $1 billion, 2014’sMaleficentwith more than $750 million, and this year’sCinderellamaking more than $500 million. Live-action adaptations of classics basically print money at this point, so it’s no surprise that more are in store.
There’sDumbo,withBurton attached to direct;Reese Witherspoonis attached to star in and produceTink, based onPeter Pan’sTinker Bell; aMaleficentsequel in process withAngelina Jolieand writerLinda Woolverton; a live-action adaptation ofMulan; and aSword in the Stoneadaptation, just to name a few. Some of these films, includingCruella, may soon find themselves being set for one of Disney’s recently announced release dates. Other projects in the Disney pipeline includeA Wrinkle in Time, whichFrozenco-director and co-writerJennifer Leeis adapting, andPete’s Dragon.
