Between the releases of Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, and How to Train Your Dragon, the era of live-action remakes is officially upon us. Some have mastered the craft more than others, but when done properly, there are few feelings as gratifying as seeing an animated classic brought to life with respect and care in live-action. It was announced back in 2019 that a live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the 1996 Disney classic starring Tom Hulce and Demi Moore was in the works. Despite Josh Gad being attached as a producer, updates on the project have been eerily silent for years now. Collider’s Michael Zimmerman recently had the chance to catch up with Stephen Schwartz, who worked as a song producer on the 1996 film and was initially announced to be returning for the remake along with Alan Menken. Sadly, to the dismay of fans, he admits he has no clue what’s going on with the project:
“I don’t know anything about it, to tell you the truth.”
Schwartz went on to call the original animated Hunchback of Notre Dame movie “one of my favorites,” and he also praised the stage adaption of the film, which has predominantly played in theaters internationally. What’s particularly disappointing about this live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame update is that it sounds like work on the film is completely stalled. It still would have been upsetting to hear that Disney hasn’t been able to crack the story, or that other issues were keeping it from moving forward, but it doesn’t seem like it’s even being actively developed at the moment. Playwright David Henry Hwang was originally attached to write the script for the film, but it had not been announced or even reported who was attached to star.
More Live-Action Remakes Are Coming in the Next Few Years

Arguably the biggest live-action Disney adaptation in development is Moana, which has already been set for release on July 10, 2026. Moana 2 hit theaters near the end of last year and grossed over $1 billion at the box office, so the live-action version is expected to be a colossal financial success. There was an adaptation of Tangled in the works, but around the same time that Snow White struggled for box office returns earlier this year, it was reported that the film had been shelved. There have been talks of a live-action Aladdin sequel with Guy Ritchie returning to direct, but updates on that front have also been quiet for a while now. It’s unclear at this time if the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame movie is still in active development. Stay tuned to Collider for potential updates on the situation and watch the original Hunchback of Notre Dame on Disney+.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Release Date

June 21, 1996

Runtime

91minutes

Director

Gary Trousdale

Writers

Tab Murphy

Franchise(s)

Disney