Disney’s Latest Live-Action Film in Disarray After Losing Academy Award-Winning Director

Late last month, Disney announced that Sean Bailey was leaving as the Walt Disney Studios head of the live-action division. During his 15 years turning Disney animated classics into live-action films, Bailey had some major hits, The Lion King (2019), which grossed more than $1.6 billion at the box office, and major misses, Cruella (2021), only took home $233 million.

Related: ‘Some Kids, Some Parents Are Just Too Sensitive,’ ‘Bambi Promises Major Changes to Disney Classic

But with several live-action movies in post-production, filming, or in development, Bailey’s exit puts some of those projects in limbo. But one of those upcoming live-action remakes just suffered another blow, losing its Oscar-winning director.

According to reports, Sarah Polley, who won a recent Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for her film Women Talking (2023), has left Disney’s live-action remake of Bambi (1942). The departure of Sarah Polley and Bailey’s exit from the studio leaves the future of the live-action Bambi in doubt.

With Disney CEO Bob Iger announcing this week that Walt Disney Studios was “quietly killing” films that it did not believe in, this could potentially be the last that we hear of this project.

Disney has already started work on the live-action versions of Lilo and Stitch (2002) and Moana (2016), both of which have found dates on Disney’s release calendar. The Walt Disney Company also has the prequal, The Lion King: Mufasa, coming out later this year.

Related: Bob Iger Admits Disney is ‘Quietly Killing’ Some of Its Films

The new look Bambi seemed doomed from the start. Screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer made waves when she told media outlets that kids were “too sensitive” to see the killing of Bambi’s mother. She also told outlets that Disney’s live-action remake would “soften” and “add scope” to the death.

Lindsey Anderson Beer has since left the project as well. But without a screenwriter, and now without director Sarah Polley, the danger is real for Bambi. 

While live-action films were consistent moneymakers for the Walt Disney Company at first, they have seen mixed results recently. The Little Mermaid (2023) barely broke even with $569 million at the box office. The live-action remake of Mulan (2020) turned into a significant loss for Disney, but that had more to do with the pandemic than the quality of the film.

Disney has high hopes for Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), as the live-action The Lion King was the last film to gross more than $1 billion at the box office, and that was nearly five years ago.

With Disney pairing back its schedule and so much controversy surrounding Bambi, this may be the last that we hear of it for a while.

What do you think of the live-action Bambi losing its director? Let us know in the comments.