Colman Domingo is a man of many talents. He’s the type of actor that you believe in any role he takes on, and is a master of both drama and comedy. He also tackles guest hosting for Jimmy Kimmel Live! with ease and can work a red carpet like no one else. So, when he declared that he’d like to turn the Disney animated movie The Princess and the Frog into live-action, I was intrigued.
From Cinderella to Moana, Disney has had mixed results with the live-action adaptations of their animated classics, but hearing Domingo discuss his love for the iconic Disney character definitely sparks my interest. He clearly cares about Tiana, Disney’s only Black princess, and wants to dig even deeper into her story. While talking recently to Deadline about his career, he was asked about the project and said:
It is such a beautiful story. I just love that it’s the first princess story centered on a young woman who just wanted to have her own. And it wasn’t associated with any man or anything like that, but she was like, ‘I just want to have my own business.’
Released in 2009, The Princess and the Frog (which you can watch with a Disney+ subscription) centers on Tiana, an aspiring restaurant owner on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human. She unexpectedly turns herself into a frog after she kisses him, and they end up falling in love in the bayou.
The Four Seasons star explains that all of this talk about a live-action Tiana movie evolved out of an idea from his friend, Tony-nominated playwright and director Robert O’Hara, who is looking to develop a story that wouldn’t be a straight remake. Inspired by the original film, they are looking at bringing the family together with the magic of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, in a way that has humor and heart. You can hear Colman Domingo’s genuine reverence for Tiana’s world in the clip.
The project is currently just in the brainstorming stage, but if this all becomes real, it would certainly go a long way to make up for the upset from when the Disney+ Princess and the Frog series was canceled. The possibility of this live-action project is already stirring up excitement and Disney fans are making casting suggestions. Bel-Air’s Coco Jones, Sinners star Jayme Lawson, Normani, Keke Palmer, and Tessa Thompson have all been suggested for Tiana, while Domingo’s Michael co-star Jaafar Jackson is a popular pick for Naveen. My personal favorite idea would be to see the Oscar nominee take on the villainous Dr. Facilier, if that character finds his way into the new story.
We know that a live-action Tangled remake is currently in production and a sequel to the live-action Lilo & Stitch is on the way. We’ll have to stay tuned to see if The Princess and the Frog could be added to the list of live action upcoming Disney movies, but with Colman Domingo’s involvement, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for any updates.
