Colman Domingo In Talks to Co-Write Live-Action Tiana ‘Princess And The Frog’

EXCLUSIVE: Hot off of notching two Emmy noms this year, we hear that Colman Domingo is looking to co-write a live-action take of Disney‘s animated 2009 feature, Princess and the Frog, in what is being developed as an untitled Princess Tiana story. We understand, per sources, that the 2x Oscar nominee will co-pen the feature with 2020 Tony nominated Slave Play director Robert O’Hara. It’s still early days on the project particularly as far as deals go.

Princess and the Frog was the last hand-drawn animated feature from Disney, released in 2009 and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. Set in New Orleans during the 1920s and based on E.D. Baker’s The Frog Princess, pic follows a waitress, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) who dreams of opening her own restaurant. She’s set on turning a frog prince, Naveen, back into a human after he’s cursed by an evil voodoo witch doctor, Facilier. However, Tiana also becomes a frog as well and the couple must find a way to become human again. Two-time Oscar winner Randy Newman wrote the score and songs, one of the most toe-tapping ones from the pic being Tiana’s “Almost There.”. We here this being billed as a spin-off of the animated feature rather than a full-on adaptation, read ala the live-action Beauty and the Beast project that’s in the works, Gaston.

Other live-action adaptations of Disney animated pics in the works are Tangled, which is currently shooting, under the direction of Michael Gracey with Kathryn Hahn, Diego Luna, Milo Manheim and Teagan Croft attached to star. There’s also Stepsisters, a Cinderella spinoff, directed by Akiva Schaffer, Lilo & Stitch 2 from filmmaker Chris Sanders and Impossible Creatures based on the fantasy series by Katherine Rundell.

Domingo wrote the book for 2018’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and co-produced 2023’s Fat Ham, a modern day take of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Other theatrical works by Domingo include the the play The Brother(s), the libretto for Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, as well as the plays Dot, Wild With Happy, A Boy and His Soul, and Up Jumped Springtime.

Domingo’s double Emmy noms this year include Comedy Series Supporting Actor for Netflix’s Four Seasons and Guest Actor Drama Series for HBO’s Euphoria. He’s already won Guest Actor in a Drama Series back in 2022 for Euphoria. Domingo never stops: He’s guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! all next week as well.

Domingo was nominated for two Best Actor Oscars back-to-back for 2024’s Rustin and 2025’s Sing Sing. Don’t be surprised if you see him again in the awards race this year for his turn as Joe Jackson in Antoine Fuqua’s highest grossing movie ever Michael which just passed $1 billion.

Domingo is repped by WME, Liebman Entertainment, and Shreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

O’Hara directed and wrote the 2011 feature horror thriller, Inheritance. O’Hara wrote Insurrection: Holding History and Bootycandy, a time traveling play exploring racial and sexual identity. Bootycandy is a series of comedic scenes primarily following the character of Sutter, a gay African American man growing from adolescence to manhood. The piece won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Drama.

O’Hara is repped by CAA and Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin.