If there’s one great thing we can look forward to in the coming years, it’s a whole slew of live-action remakes courtesy of Disney. Beginning with the live-action remakes of The Lion King, Dumbo and Aladdin already in production, Disney is looking to bring some fresh ideas to some of its classic films. Among the many films getting the live-action treatment, fans can look forward to seeing fresh retellings of The Little Mermaid, The Sword in the Stone and Pinocchio. Disney is also retelling classic stories through the eyes of different characters, like Tinker Bell and Cruella. It’s definitely an exciting time to be a Disney fan.
However, many of these live-action remakes have yet to cast either lead characters or supporting characters. Considering the long road traveled by the Aladdin casting team before they landed on lead actors Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott (who will be playing Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively), it seems like we should preemptively suggest some great actors who would make excellent casting choices for the other planned Disney remakes.
And so, in light of this, here are our dream casting choices for all of the live-action remakes Disney has planned.
‘Mulan’
Mulan is one of the most eagerly anticipated of Disney’s live-action remakes, and it has yet to cast its leads. This is a perfect opportunity to bring Asian and Asian American actors to the forefront.
Two amazing options for leads Mulan and Zhang would be rising stars Ellen Wong and Lewis Tan. Wong has been steadily rising to prominence with roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Netflix’s original series Glow. The opportunity to bring her strength and tenacity to a role like Mulan would be amazing. For his part, Tan is an accomplished martial arts expert who gained notoriety when news broke that he was not cast in Netflix’s Iron Fist (that role went to white actor Finn Jones). Tan not only deserves this kind of a break, he’s more than skilled enough for the role of army leader Zhang.
‘Christopher Robin’
Disney’s planned Winnie the Pooh spinoff, Christopher Robin, has yet to cast its titular character. The role calls for a young man who’s as sensitive as he is imaginative, which would be a great opportunity to bring in actor Lewis MacDougall. MacDougall showed audiences those qualities — plus a great depth of dramatic skill — when he starred in the 2016 drama A Monster Calls.
‘Oliver Twist’
Disney is currently planning an Oliver Twist remake, with Ice Cube producing and Hamilton director Tommy Kail to bring the story of one orphan into the modern era. Back in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Cube and Kail’s version of Oliver Twist would be a modern musical with hip-hop influences and that Cube has been cast as Fagin. However, this production still needs an Oliver, and it should totally be Quvenzhané Wallis. She can sing, dance and act like nobody’s business. Plus, she’s already starred in the remake of Annie, so she knows a thing or two about playing an orphan on-screen. Additionally, this would be a great opportunity to cast Cube’s son, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., who is just as musically inclined as his father. Jackson could easily play Bill Sikes, one of the member’s of Fagin’s crew.
‘James & the Giant Peach’
All right, if we want to really shake up the casting of some of Disney’s planned remakes, like James & the Giant Peach, we need to get both creative and inclusive.
That’s why this film could and should be a female-led remake that also brings women of color to the forefront. Young star Isabella Moner would make a great James, given how her spunky, save-the-day side was put on display in Transformers: The Last Night. Additionally, Priyanka Chopra (Quantico, Baywatch) would make an excellent Spider, one one of the many creatures James lives with inside the giant peach.
‘Peter Pan’
If the Peter Pan remake is going to bring something fresh to the table, the casting team behind it should consider bringing new and international talent into the mix. Think A Wrinkle in Time‘s Storm Reid, a rising young actor who could follow in the tradition of young women who played Peter Pan in previous film and stage adaptations. Additionally, British up-and-comer Ray Panthaki would make an excellent Captain Hook.
‘Tinker Bell’
Reese Witherspoon has already secured the role of Tinker Bell in the live-action remake/spinoff of Peter Pan, tentatively titled Tinker Bell. Not much is known about the plot, although there’s a chance the film could focus on Tink’s life after the events of Peter Pan if she’s going to be played by an older woman like Witherspoon. This means that there’s room for a whole new cast of characters to come into the mix.
For this, if Tinker Bell is in need of some companions, maybe the casting team should look to casting a female companion this time around (as opposed to Peter Pan). Consider Maisie Williams and Disney stars Dove Cameron and Auli’i Cravalho.
‘Cruella’
Cruella has been in the works for a long time, but with Emma Stone finally attached to the project, it feels like something might actually happen. As Cruella comes together, we still don’t know much about the plot except that it’s a Maleficent-style reworking of 101 Dalmatians, where Cruella is a prequel that looks at Cruella’s life before she met all those spotty puppies. Without much else known, we’d like to take a stab in the dark that Cruella will need a love interest, a job for which we nominate handsome Brit Theo James. Cruella may also have a secretary or partner in crime, which would require the talents of up-and-coming actor Florence Pugh.
‘The Little Mermaid’
Millennials everywhere will want to make sure that the casting for The Little Mermaid is done right when production finally begins on the live-action remake. Since he’s already brought one classic Disney prince to life in the remake of Beauty and the Beast, it seems only logical that actor Dan Stevens should be given another crack at playing an iconic prince — cast him as Prince Eric! Of course, the film will also need an actor to play Ariel who can handle both the comedy and the drama of this tale, so we’d nominate Sophie Turner for the job.
‘The Sword in the Stone’
Bringing The Sword in the Stone to life will require some great British actors — ones who bring the classical touch that Disney’s fantasy twist on Arthurian legend will require. Since young actor Tom Holland is already in the Disney/Marvel stable of actors and he looks like he’d be very handy at pulling a sword from a stone, he should totally play the film’s lead, Arthur. And, of course, when you think fantasy worlds, you think Game of Thrones; why not cast GoT actor Charles Dance to play Merlin?
‘Pinocchio’
For now, all we know about the Pinocchio remake is that it’s happening and that British director of stage and screen Sam Mendes might be directing it. Considering the serious lack of leads here, why not cast the super-likable, wide-eyed young actor Jacob Tremblay as the puppet-turned-boy? He could totally sell Pinocchio’s cuteness and innocence. As for Geppetto, someone like veteran actor Stellan Skarsgård would be perfect for the role — especially with Geppetto’s iconic bushy mustache.
‘Maleficent 2’
According to IMDb, the sequel to the live-action remake of Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, is already underway. Tentatively titled Maleficent 2 with Angelina Jolie returning as the famous Disney villain, it would appear the sequel will be focused on Maleficent’s daughter and her budding romance with Princess Aurora’s son. How intriguing. With this in mind, it seems only natural to cast two young, up-and-coming actors who have that classic fairy-tale look and who bring some serious acting chops to the table. That’s why we’d nominate Lily Collins (To the Bone) as Malevolent — especially because she looks like she could be Jolie’s daughter — and Joe Alwyn (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk) to play the classically good-looking son of Princess Aurora.
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