Disney's Live-Action Sword In The Stone: Confirmation

Disney’s The Sword in the Stone is getting a live-action remake, with the 1963 animated version of T.H. White’s novel The Once and Future King being reimagined by 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo for a Disney+ exclusive. While not the most popular animated Disney Classic, The Sword in the Stone was still the way many people were introduced to the character of King Arthur when they were young. Characters like Merlin and Madam Mim have gained a timeless place in the Disney canon, making anticipation for the live-action Sword in the Stone high.

The project was first announced by in 2015, with director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo joining in 2018. However, while initial movement on the Disney live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone looked incredibly promising, the movie’s future is far from certain. With a release date still nowhere in sight and several years without updates from Disney, the live-action Sword in the Stone remains one of the House of Mouse’s most mysterious upcoming movies.

Most Recent Live-Action Sword In The Stone Movie News

News on the live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone has been worryingly quiet. The last significant updates on the project came in 2018 when Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was on-boarded to direct (via THR). Since then there’s been little movement on the movie. While Disney hasn’t made a cancelation announcement it is still concerning that the Sword in the Stone live-action version was confirmed almost a decade ago in 2015 and still hasn’t materialized.

The Live-Action Sword In The Stone Is Confirmed

Disney’s live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone is confirmed, and entered development in 2015 (via THR). It was revealed on announcement that Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) had been tapped by Disney for screenwriting duties, with Brigham Taylor producing. Taylor has worked on several live-action Disney remakes including 2019’s Lady and the Tramp and 2016’s The Jungle Book. At one point a filming date and location for The Sword in the Stone was reported, but this doesn't seem to have gone anywhere since the news broke in 2018.

Live-Action Sword In The Stone Movie Cast

There has been no word yet on the cast for the live-action The Sword in the Stone. The movie will be directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, with Bryan Cogman on screenwriting duties and Brigham Taylor directing. However, despite almost a decade passing since the Disney+ exclusive was announced, neither the creative team nor Disney has teased any cast members.

Arthur and Merlin will be two key live-action The Sword in the Stone characters needing cast members, as is Sir Kay and Madam Mim. Karl Swenson (Little House on the Prairie) voiced Merlin in the original. Arthur was originally played by child actor Rickie Sorensen, but since Sorensen entered puberty and suffered vocal changes during production director Wolfgang Reitherman had his sons Richard and Robert step in, leading to notable differences in Arthur’s voice throughout the 1963 animated version.

Since it likely hasn’t entered production, the casting of Arthur will likely be based on active actors in the appropriate age range at the time. Merlin, Madam Mim, and Sir Kay could be potentially played by anyone - it’s entirely dependent on the creative direction Disney wants to take with the live-action Sword in the Stone cast.

Disney’s Live-Action Sword In The Stone Movie Story

The story for the live-action The Sword in the Stone would follow the animated 1963 classic Disney movie, just as their other remakes of animated films do. The Sword in the Stone is a somewhat different take on the legend of King Arthur. It shows Arthur’s life as a young boy. Far from the future king, the Arthur of Disney’s The Sword in the Stone is a gangly, awkward pre-teen who serves as the clumsy squire of his foster brother Sir Kay.

Based on the 1938 novel by T.H. White titled The Once and Future King, the Disney version of the King Arthur story sees Arthur (referred to as Wart by his less-than-friendly peers like Sir Kay) taking lessons from Merlin, who sees the boy’s worth. Arthur ends up pulling the titular sword from the stone on the day of a tournament of knights, unknowingly fulfilling an ancient prophecy (a feat repeated once in real life by an unfortunate Disneyland guest).