The filmmaker behind “Prey” and “Predator: Badlands” is developing an original film inspired by the fairy tale at Disney’s live-action studio. It won’t be tied to the Maleficent movies.
Disney’s next fairy tale is coming from a guy best known for alien hunters.
Dan Trachtenberg, who directed “Prey” and “Predator: Badlands,” is developing an original movie inspired by “Sleeping Beauty” at Disney, Deadline reported Monday, Sept. 28.
The untitled project is in early development, per Deadline, and it’s meant to take the story in a new direction.
What is Dan Trachtenberg’s Sleeping Beauty movie about?
Nobody outside the project knows yet. Plot details are under wraps.
What’s been reported is that it’s an original story inspired by the fairy tale, not a shot-for-shot remake of the 1959 animated classic. Trachtenberg came up with the story with Rayna McClendon, and Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf are writing the script, per Deadline.
No cast has been announced.
Is the new Sleeping Beauty movie connected to Maleficent?
No. Insiders told Deadline the film won’t connect to the “Maleficent” movies starring Angelina Jolie.
Those two films retold the story from the villain’s side. “Maleficent” came out in 2014 and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” followed in 2019. This new project is its own thing.
Is it live-action or animated?
It’s being developed at Disney Live Action, the studio run by president Daria Cercek, per Deadline’s report as syndicated by ComingSoon.
Disney hasn’t officially described the format. But the live-action division is the same group behind Disney’s remakes of its animated films.
Who is producing the new Sleeping Beauty?
Trachtenberg is producing with his longtime producing partner Ben Rosenblatt and Michelle Rejwan, a “Star Wars” producer, per Deadline.
Jessica Virtue, executive vice president of production, is overseeing the project for Disney along with creative executive Alina Mota.
Who is Dan Trachtenberg?
He’s the director who made the “Predator” movies good again, according to plenty of fans and critics.
His biggest credits:
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“10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016), his first feature
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“Prey” (2022), the Comanche-led “Predator” prequel that went straight to Hulu
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“Predator: Killer of Killers” (2025), an animated anthology
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“Predator: Badlands” (2025), which put a young Predator in the lead
“Prey” earned him two Emmy nominations, for directing and writing, per ComingSoon. He has also directed TV episodes of “The Boys” and “Black Mirror.”
Why is this a Disney story?
Because the “Predator” movies already are one. The franchise belongs to 20th Century Studios, which Disney owns after buying 21st Century Fox in 2019. Trachtenberg’s last three “Predator” films were all Disney releases, on Hulu or in theaters.
So in a way, he’s just switching floors in the same building. The jump from space monsters to spinning wheels is still a big one, though.
Has Disney remade Sleeping Beauty before?
Not directly. The studio already turned “Sleeping Beauty” into the “Maleficent” movies, and it has remade a long list of its animated classics in live action, from “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast” to “The Little Mermaid” and “Lilo & Stitch.”
A straight live-action “Sleeping Beauty” hasn’t been announced. Trachtenberg’s film, from what’s been reported, is meant to be something different.
When will the new Sleeping Beauty come out?
There’s no date. The film is in early development, with no cast and no release window.
Given how long Disney projects usually take to go from script to screen, don’t expect it in theaters for a while. For now, you’ll have to settle for the 1959 original on Disney+, where Aurora is still waiting for her prince, and nobody gets hunted by an alien.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
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Deadline (Sept. 28, 2026), the project, writers, producers and Maleficent note
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ComingSoon, via Yahoo (Sept. 28, 2026), Disney executives, Trachtenberg’s credits and Emmy nominations
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