Disney's Live-Action Hunchback Of Notre Dame: Confirmation & Everything We Know

Disney’s live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame adaptation has been in development for several years, and despite Josh Gad’s involvement and considerable fan demand there’s still much uncertainty around its future. The original animated TheHunchback of Notre Dame was released by Disney in 1996, starring Kevin Kline as Phoebus, Demi Moore as Esmeralda, Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, and the late Tony Jay as villain Judge Claude Frollo. It was notoriously dark for a Disney animated feature, and definitely sits among their more controversial releases.

In 2019 it was announced that The Hunchback of Notre Dame was up for the now-notorious Disney live-action remake treatment. The news was met incredibly well by fans of the original, as it’s clear how the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s original novel would lend itself brilliantly to a live-action format. Much has changed since 2019, however, and despite a release date initially being floated and possible cast members teased, the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame remake from Disney is far from certain.

Most Recent Live-Action Hunchback Of Notre Dame News

The most recent news on Disney’s live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame are disheartening, as there are widely-reported rumors that the project has been shelved. As covered by multiple outlets at the time, reports stemming from TheDisInsider.com YouTube channel in August 2023 suggested that CEO Bob Iger had thrown the future of the Disney live-action Hunchback into question.

While there’s not been anything official to confirm or deny these claims, the lack of live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame news since the remake was first confirmed doesn’t bode well. Despite being widely reported the rumors of it being cancelled appear to be unsubstantiated, the lack of any reconfirmation the project is still moving ahead from Disney is troubling, and it could well be that the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame isn’t moving forward.

Disney’s Live-Action Hunchback Of Notre Dame Was Confirmed

Disney confirmed a live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame movie was in the works back in 2019 (via Deadline). When first announced Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang was attached on screenwriting duties, with Alan Menken (who scored the original) and Stephen Schwartz providing the updated music. There were also rumors Josh Gad was in talks to play Quasimodo. However it’s unclear if any are still on the project after so many years have passed.

Disney Live-Action Hunchback Of Notre Dame Cast

There have been no announcements around the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame cast. When the remake was announced by Disney in 2019 there were rumors Josh Gad (Frozen) had been tapped to play Quasimodo, the titular hunchback. There were also reports Gad was attached as producer, though like much with the live-action Hunchback the exact nature of his role is unclear. Gad clearly was involved in some capacity, as he fielded many fan questions on social media around the project.

Live-Action Disney Hunchback Of Notre Dame Story

The live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame would likely follow the plot of the animated 1996 Disney original, which was in itself an adaptation of the incredibly dark 1831 novel Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo. The animated version was notoriously adult for a Disney movie, tackling themes such as oppression, racism, segregation, and religious intolerance. The titular hunchback Quasimodo, after being confined to the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris his whole life, rises up against his cruel master Frollo.

Iconic yet underrated Disney villain Frollo, a Judge in Medieval Paris, has been waging a campaign of tyranny against the city, abducting and torturing both Gypsies and anybody suspected of aiding them. After Quasi sneaks out of the belltower to attend the Festival of Fools he falls for Esmeralda, a street performer and Gypsy - and so, much to the Judge’s self-disgust, does Frollo.

While Quasi’s awakened feelings prompt him to dare to dream of a happier tomorrow, the pious Frollo’s self-doubt causes him to burn down half of Paris looking for Esmeralda and the Gypsies' secret encampment in the Paris catacombs — the Court of Miracles. Quasimodo and Phoebus, a Captain returned from the Crusades, proceed to warn Esmeralda and the Gypsies, only to be followed by Frollo. Frollo then attempts to burn Esmeralda at the stake in Notre Dame Square. Quasi saves her and kills Frollo, though not without some incredibly stark imagery along the way.

It’s an incredibly serious tale that, amazingly, worked incredibly well as Disney movie. However, this dark tone is also possibly why the live-action Hunchback of Notre Dame has stalled possibly to the point of cancellation. If the comments made by composer Alan Menkin are to be believed, difficulty in adapting the story for a family friendly audience once it isn’t a cartoon may be behind why the release date hasn’t — and may never — arrive.