Colman Domingo is in talks to co-write an original live-action feature about Princess Tiana, a project inspired by Disney’s 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. Robert O’Hara is expected to co-write it with him, though the deal is still in its earliest stage.
The move gives Disney another pass at a story that has already proved durable. The Princess and the Frog, set in New Orleans during the 1920s, followed Tiana as she dreamed of opening her own restaurant, with Anika Noni Rose voicing the character and Randy Newman writing the score and songs. It grossed $267 million worldwide and earned three Oscar nominations, enough to keep it in the company’s live-action orbit years later.
That is why Domingo’s name is drawing attention now. He has become one of the busiest creative figures around television and theater, with two Emmy nominations this year for Comedy Series Supporting Actor for Netflix’s Four Seasons and Guest Actor Drama Series for HBO’s Euphoria, after earlier wins and producing work that helped widen his profile beyond acting. A live-action Tiana project with his name on it signals that Disney is still looking for ways to return to one of its most recognizable modern heroines.
But the project is not being framed as a straight remake. It is being discussed as a spinoff rather than a full adaptation, which leaves room for a new story while keeping Princess Tiana at the center. That also explains the uncertainty around it: early talks can point to ambition, but they do not lock in structure, cast or even final deal terms.
For Disney, the bet is straightforward. Live-action versions of animated titles remain a live business, and the company is still developing other projects tied to Tangled, Stepsisters, Lilo & Stitch 2 and Impossible Creatures. If Domingo and O’Hara close their deals, the Tiana film would not just revisit The Princess and the Frog. It would try to turn one of Disney’s most distinct princesses into the foundation for something new.
