A new Disney live-action movie is rumored to be in the works. Should the rumor be true, it’ll be one of Disney’s riskiest remakes yet.
A new rumor recently popped up from scooper MyTimeToShineHello on X. On May 29, 2026, the insider shared the news that Disney was currently in the process of developing a live-action version of Pocahontas. No further news was shared on the matter, but it’s not too surprising given just how popular the original movie was.
The original animated Pocahontas debuted in 1995 and grossed $346 million worldwide at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). Walt Disney Feature Animation produced the film, which featured the voices of Irene Bedard and Mel Gibson. The 1995 film won two Academy Awards for Best Musical or Comedy Score and Best Original Song for “Colors of the Wind.” The soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard 200 charts during the week of July 22, 1995.
However, a live-action adaptation of Pocahontas would be a risky move by Disney for a few reasons.
Disney’s rumored Pocahontas remake could be a risky move
The original Pocahontas, while beloved by many, has faced some backlash since its release. At the tip of its iceberg, the movie is seen as one of many perpetuating the “white savior” trope in. In the movie, Pocahontas and her Powhatan tribe are often portrayed as less civilized and generally angry people compared to John Smith and some of the English settlers they meet.
On top of that, there is real life history to contend with. Pocahontas was a real person, and the movie also took some fairly big leaps in how it portrayed the story of Pocahontas and Smith (real name John Rolfe). In reality, the pair were reportedly never in a romantic relationship of any kind, with their marriage (which took place when Pocahontas was reportedly 17 or so) being more of a political arrangement done so to form a short period of peace between the English and Powhatan. Pocahontas’ age in reality (around 13-15 when Rolfe arrived in Virginia) problematizes that even more. Rolfe’s real-life persona is also said to have been drastically different than the kind and loving man he’s portrayed as in the animated movie.
Of course, Disney could still choose to remake the movie for a number of reasons. The film is one of Disney’s original classic animated films, and despite the large historical inaccuracies, is often seen as one of the earliest movies from the company that featured a strong and capable female hero. Should they choose to remake it, though, it’s likely Disney will have to contend with a lot of backlash and would likely change several aspects of the movie to appeal to modern audiences.
