Disney is moving forward with a live-action film centered on Medusa, the Gorgon from Greek mythology. Reports indicate that the film will take the direction of a villain origin story, reinterpreting Medusa's experiences from the villain's perspective, similar to the approach taken in Cruella.
Michael Montemayor is responsible for developing the script. He is also involved in Disney's live-action Tangled and the unreleased Stepsisters, among other projects. The producing team includes Dwayne Johnson and his Seven Bucks partners Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia, with no current information indicating that Dwayne Johnson will appear in the film.
The specific plot of the film remains confidential. Whether Medusa will ultimately be portrayed as a pure monster, a misunderstood victim, or adapted from another angle has not yet been confirmed.
Montemayor's live-action Tangled has completed filming and is scheduled for release on March 31, 2028. Stepsisters, an original live-action Cinderella spin-off directed by Akiva Schaffer, has not yet announced a release date. The Medusa film currently has no cast list, start date, or release date; the only confirmed information pertains to the subject matter, screenwriter, and producer lineup.
Detailed report from foreign media:
It seems that one of the creators behind Disney's live-action Tangled has a particular fondness for stories involving magical hair. The film is set for release in 2028. Michael Montemayor, the screenwriter for Tangled, who is also involved in Court Date and the upcoming Stepsisters, is currently developing a villain origin story inspired by Cruella. Specific details about this new film, based on the Greek mythological figure Medusa, remain tightly under wraps; but we do know that Dwayne Johnson will serve as a producer alongside his Seven Bucks Productions partners Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia, although it is unclear whether "The Rock" Johnson will act in the film or what role he might play.
Unless you've been living under a rock your whole life, you surely know that Medusa is the famous Gorgon with snake hair. She often appears in different forms, sometimes depicted as an inhuman monster, and more recently viewed as a misunderstood victim. Which direction the screenwriters will take this project is anyone's guess. However, Montemayor is quite in demand at Disney; another live-action film he's involved in, Stepsisters, is an original Cinderella spin-off directed by Akiva Schaffer, set to hit the big screen, though no release date has been announced. It seems that reimagining stories is also his specialty, and we hope the angle he takes on this Medusa film will be surprising.
Nearly six years after the live-action Tangled movie was revealed to be in development, filming has officially wrapped, allowing the project to stay on track for its March 31, 2028 release date, leaving about a year and a half for editing, post-production, and marketing. "Tangled has wrapped!! Seeing this movie become a reality is truly a dream come true! I've been writing movie scripts since I was 19, so being able to work with Disney this year (on four projects!!) is nothing short of a long-awaited miracle," the screenwriter said on Instagram when announcing the wrap.
It has been a long journey from the announcement of development in 2020 to the news that filming has completed. This January, the producers announced that Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim would play the film's protagonists, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Caitriona Balfe and Elliot Cowan were also cast as Rapunzel's parents, and Kathryn Hahn joined the cast as the villain Mother Gothel.
As for this new Medusa project, we currently know very little about what it might contain. However, any work that Montemayor puts his heart into seems to have great potential for success, and since Medusa is such a well-known and beloved character, the film already has a built-in audience—especially considering that Disney's other Greek mythology-based series, Percy Jackson, has a huge fan base and is one of Disney's most successful live-action adaptations ever.