Colman Domingo, best known right now as an actor, is reportedly in conversations to co-write Disney’s next Tiana movie. Deadline’s report says he is working with Robert O'Hara on a live-action film centered on The Princess And The Frog’s protagonist, and that the current plan is described as a “spin-off,” not a remake.

The practical implication is immediate: this isn’t a finished deal with a locked script, it’s “very early talks,” with Deadline noting that no deals are in place for Domingo or O'Hara yet. Still, the writing pairing matters, because Disney’s animated catalog strategy has to balance brand risk, audience expectations, and production ambition, and writer choice is one of the earliest bets a studio makes about how the story might feel.

To understand why this is a big deal inside the entertainment machine, look at what Domingo brings to the table. The source notes he has a long history as a writer, most notably in theater, where he is described as an accomplished playwright and a Tony nominee, with credits stretching back to the 1990s. He also has hands-on musical experience, having penned the book for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which is relevant because Princess And The Frog is famously tethered to music, particularly its New Orleans setting.

Now layer in Robert O'Hara’s role. Deadline identifies him as the playwright and occasional screenwriter and director best known for his Tony-nominated work on 2018’s Slave Play. That matters because it suggests the studio is not just swapping animation for live-action. A “spin-off,” as described in the report, implies Disney is trying to extend the world and tone of the original without repeating the exact beats of the 2009 film. That’s a different creative problem than a straight remake, and different scripts demand different structures, especially when the original is an audience favorite with a legacy.

And the original does have a legacy. The source reminds us that The Princess And The Frog was a “decent-sized hit” when it landed in theaters in 2009, and that it has maintained a well-kept reputation. One of the reasons it continues to resonate is that it ended up being the last traditionally animated film in Disney’s oeuvre to date, per the source. In other words, the title carries not only character recognition but also a cultural bookmark. When studios touch properties like this, they are not just building a movie, they are managing a memory.

The report also adds a key studio framing detail: while the film is described as live-action, it will apparently not be a remake. That distinction is where risk and upside both live. Remakes can lean on familiarity, but spin-offs ask audiences to trust that the franchise can expand beyond the original plot while keeping the emotional and aesthetic DNA intact. For boards and executives, that is the tightrope: you want enough novelty to justify new production costs and marketing spend, but enough continuity to avoid alienating the exact fans who remember the 2009 songs.

The source points to the songs as a central component of what worked, noting Randy Newman wrote them and that standout tracks include “Almost There” and “Friends On The Other Side.” It also raises an open question that studios would be thinking about constantly: would this new project go the musical route? The text doesn’t claim an answer, but it notes that Domingo has experience in musical writing and that New Orleans music is central to the original setting. For decision-makers, that creates a clear second-order incentive. If the film leans into musical storytelling successfully, it reinforces franchise identity and reduces the risk of the live-action adaptation feeling like a bland “theme-park version” of the animated classic.

The second-order implications go beyond creative. Even though there are no deals in place yet, this kind of early-stage writing attachment can ripple through the internal pipeline: it influences how producers shape budgets for musical numbers, how casting teams think about vocal demands, and how marketing teams decide whether they are selling a “new chapter” or a “faithful vibe.” It can also affect how creative teams recruit talent later, since a writer’s background signals what kind of collaboration the project will demand.

Ultimately, this is an interesting pairing of subject matter and talent, and the source is careful to say it’s not clear what to expect yet. But for peers across studios, streamers, and production companies, the strategic stakes are the same: Disney’s willingness to explore a live-action Tiana spin-off, while avoiding a remake, signals that the company wants to keep the brand fresh without burning it down. If the early talks turn into real commitments, Domingo and O'Hara’s collaboration could become a useful indicator of how Disney intends to translate a beloved animated legacy into live-action storytelling that feels like extension, not replacement.