Director Carlos López Estrada confirmed during a recent Reddit AMA that Disney is not moving forward on a live-action Robin Hood film. As Zootopia 2 continues its record-breaking run at the box office, industry-watchers are expressing some surprise that the studio would pull the plug on another talking-animal film.
In response to a question about the project’s status, Estrada replied, “It’s dead, sadly,” adding that he believed there was something special in the project, including “truly extraordinary music we had figured out for it.”
Robin Hood at Disney
The original Robin Hood film was released in 1973. It was the first animated feature completely developed and produced after Walt Disney’s death. Tony Award-nominated actor Brian Bedford provided the voice of Robin Hood, a fox. Little John, a bear, was voiced by legendary Disney actor Phil Harris.
Robin Hood (1973) – Disney+
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The rest of the cast was filled out by a collection of British stage actors—like Peter Ustinov—and American actors known for westerns. Country-western singer Roger Miller also appeared as Allan-a-Dale, a rooster, and wrote three original songs for the film.
In early 2020, The Hollywood Reporter said in an exclusive that Estrada had signed on for a remake of the 1970s talking animal adventure. At the time, Robin Hood was envisioned as a live-action/CG hybrid film. It was slated to go directly to Disney+ like other live-action remakes, including Lady and Tramp.
Disney appeared to be approaching live-action remakes with caution after 2025’s Snow White failed at the box office. However, THR noted that a live-action version of Tangled is back in active development after a brief pause. A live-action spinoff of Beauty and the Beast villain Gaston and a remake of Hercules from filmmaker Guy Ritchie are also in the works.
Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps in Zootopia 2 – YouTube, Disney
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The recent success of Zootopia 2, however, led many observers to believe Disney might use it as a template for future talking-animal projects.
Zootopia 2’s Success Vs. Mufasa’s Failure
Talking-animal stories have long been a staple of Disney’s animated library. From Robin Hood and The Lion King to more recent hits like Zootopia, anthropomorphic characters allow filmmakers to blend fantasy, humor, and social storytelling in ways that are often harder to translate into live-action hybrids. That creative flexibility has helped make many of Disney’s animated animal films some of the studio’s most enduring successes.
Zootopia 2 was a massive victory for Disney. The animated sequel is the fastest PG-rated film in history to hit $1 billion. Earlier this year, it was reported that Zootopia 2 had become Walt Disney Animation’s highest-grossing movie ever, with $1.46 billion at the global box office.
Mufasa (voiced by Braelyn Rankins) in Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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By contrast, 2024’s live-action Lion King prequel Mufasa reportedly cost Disney around $383 million to produce. With roughly $400 million in global box office revenue, the film likely fell short of profitability. Since studios typically need to earn roughly twice a film’s production budget to break even after marketing costs, Mufasa was almost certainly a loss. With Robin Hood, the studio may be hedging against another Mufasa loss rather than banking on a Zootopia 2 success.
While Robin Hood will remain a cherished animated classic, a live-action remake now seems unlikely. Disney may be leaning on fully animated projects like Zootopia 2, which continue to capture global audiences, suggesting that the magic of talking animals may still work best in their original animated form.
How do you feel about the cancellation of a live-action Robin Hood remake? Let us know in the comments!
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They’d just gay it up. Friar Tucks (his junk).