Everything We Know About the Live Action ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Remake

Disney’s animated films are often among the first movies kids ever see. Classics like Snow White, The Jungle Book, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King are cultural touchstones for generations, earning endless love from audiences. It’s no wonder then that Disney has embarked on a years-long project of remaking their most recognizable animated movies into live-action adaptations.

The next big project in the works: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The original animated movie, based on the novel Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, became one of the seminal releases during the “Disney Renaissance” of the 1990s. The movie introduced Americans to the shy and affectionate Quasimodo and earned $300 million at the box office. Can the live-action version capture the same magic and commercial success? Here’s everything we know about the live action Hunchback of Notre Dame remake: 

When will The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake be released?

The live-action remake was first announced in 2019 and is a collaboration between Mandeville Films co-owner David Hoberman and Disney star Josh Gad, the same team that worked on the Beauty and the Beast remake from 2017. The current release date for The Hunchback of Notre Dame remake is July 19, 2024, but that seems unlikely. In May 2023, composer Alan Menken revealed that the movie is in limbo with issues arising around how to deal with the film’s subject matter.

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Who is in The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake’s cast?

The cast of Notre Dame has not been announced or confirmed publicly. Many fan casting choices have sparked interest online however, with Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Marvel star Chris Hemsworth both labeled as ideal candidates to play Phoebus. Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot could make a great Esmerelda. With Josh Gad as a producer on the film, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine him being considered for the title role. The 1995 version of the movie had a stellar voice cast including Oscar nominees Tom Hulce and Demi Moore in the lead roles and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Kline as well as Seinfeld star Jason Alexander in supporting parts.

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Who is the music team for The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake?

If there’s one consistent high point in Disney movies, especially those of the Disney Renaissance era, it is the music. Luckily the new live-action remake, while lacking the previous movie’s colorful animations and charming character designs, will retain the multi-Oscar winning music team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The animated Hunchback of Notre Dame was nominated for Best Music, Original Score at the 1997 Academy Awards and featured fan-favorite songs like “Someday” which was performed by the R&B band All-4-One and “God Help the Outcasts” performed by Bette Midler. We don’t yet know whether the new movie will feature new songs or new versions of the originals.

Is there a trailer for The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake?

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Since the movie’s release date is still tenuous and the film hasn’t been shot, there isn’t a trailer for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Interestingly, Josh Gad riled fans in March when he posted a apparent teaser poster with a release date of 2025 and an all-star cast that included Gal Gadot, Kelsey Grammar, Chris Evans, Jack Black and Sacha Baron Cohen. He quickly clarified that the image was a fan-made poster that he really liked and that it was no way licensed by Disney.

Who is the director of The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action remake?

There’s no director currently attached to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. David Hoberman, who is co-producing the film with Josh Gad, previously worked on another Disney live-action remake, Beauty and the Beast, which was directed by Bill Condon. Could Condon re-team with his Disney producers for this film? It seems up his alley, seeing as he has directed costume dramas like Mr. Holmes and Gods and Monsters in the past, as well musicals like Dreamgirls.

What will happen in The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a tale of classic French literature originally written by Victor Hugo (who also wrote Les Miserables) in 1831. The book tells the story of a hunchback named Quasimodo who lives in isolation in a bell tower due to the townspeople fearing him as a monster for his hunched back and “ugly” features. He falls in love with a poor Romani woman named Esmerelda who is also an outcast (European prejudices against Romani people are historically well documented and continue today). Quasimodo’s cruel guardian, the Archdeacon Claude Frollo, also wants Esmerelda for himself and thus, a love triangle forms. The original tale is very dark and upsetting, featuring torture, rape, murder and many other forms of violence which were mostly kept out of the Disney animated version though even the movie was rather dark for Disney.

It’s unclear whether the remake is going to be more or less faithful to the book or simply recreate the animated version. Josh Gad mentioned in an Instagram post that the script is one of the best he’s ever read. Alan Menken, however, discussed the difficulties of adapting the material to more culturally sensitive times today. Hugo’s novel for its time was one of the few that dealt with themes of disability, marginalization, misogyny and racism in European society. How those prickly subjects are navigated will be important to whether The Hunchback of Notre Dame can be a success in today’s cultural climate.

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