According to a report from The DisInsider, Walt Disney Studios is in the early stages of developing a live-action adaptation of Han Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Details regarding casting and what direction the film will head in have not been revealed, but the plan is for it to receive a threatrical release rather than heading straight to Disney+.
Kristin Burr, whose credits include Christopher Robin and the upcoming Cruella, is the only attached producer. As you might expect, there's no word on a writer, director or cast members yet.
First published in 1844, The Snow Queen was one of Andersen's longest stories and is divided into seven parts, which definitely screams "franchise potential." Interestingly, this won't be Disney's first adaptation of the story as both Frozen movies are loosely based on the author's concepts.
In ABC's Once Upon a Time, Elizabeth Mitchell played the Snow Queen, who was revealed to be the aunt of Frozen's Anna and Elsa. Recently, we learned that new adaptations of Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Hercules are in development, so Disney clearly isn't giving up on live-action takes on its animated classics any time soon.
Will The Snow Queen be a Frozen spinoff? It's too soon to say, but definitely a very real possibility.
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