Disney’s Live-Action Bambi Movie Writer Raises Concern That the Remake May Now Be Cancelled With New Comments: ‘I Have Not Even Checked In’ (Exclusive)

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Geneva Robertson-Dworet, the writer who worked on the planned live-action remake of Bambi, recently shared details about the project, and it seems it’s not moving forward. Back in January 2020, Disney announced that Bambi would be the next animated classic to get a realistic, CGI-filled makeover, similar to what they did with The Lion King and The Jungle Book. Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer were hired to write the screenplay, and Sarah Polley was set to direct, aiming to bring the story to a new audience.

Geneva Robertson-Dworet, while promoting her work on Amazon’s Fallout Season 2, shared an update on the planned Bambi remake with TopMob. Unfortunately, the news isn’t promising. The screenwriter said she hasn’t received any information about the Disney film in at least five years, explaining that her current focus has been on Fallout, which is returning for a third season.

TopMob asked, “I heard you were going to write the Bambi movie, but reports surfaced in January that the project was stalled. Could you give us an update on its current status?”

Robertson-Dworet says working on ‘Fallout’ has been a huge commitment. He hasn’t heard anything about the ‘Bambi’ movie he was previously working on in at least five years, and honestly, he hasn’t bothered to check on its progress since starting ‘Fallout’.

Robertson-Dworet has expressed her continued interest in a Bambi movie, but her work on Fallout has prevented her from becoming involved.

I’m afraid I’m not the best fit for this. I’m completely focused on wanting a new Bambi movie, to the point where I’m falling behind on everything related to it.

This news comes after a report from The Disinsider – which hasn’t been confirmed – that the film Bambi was cancelled by the studio. This happened after director Sarah Polley left the project more than a year ago.

There haven’t been many recent announcements about the new Bambi movie. Director Beer supposedly submitted a version to Disney in 2022, according to Deadline. After reports that Sarah Polley was no longer involved in the remake of the 1942 film, many wondered if Bambi would be another Disney project that got cancelled.

Lindsey Beer told Collider in September 2023 that she had left the Bambi remake to work on Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. This move has left the Bambi project without a director or writers, and the lack of any recent news is fueling concerns that the film may have been abandoned.

Despite the disappointing box office performance of the recent Snow White remake, Disney is continuing to produce live-action versions of its animated classics. Moana is scheduled to return to theaters on July 10th, and filming for a live-action Tangled is expected to begin soon, featuring Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim, and Kathryn Hahn in the lead roles.

Bambi’s Other Live-Action Writer Teased ‘Updates’ to the Story

During a September 2023 interview with Collider, Lindsey Beer discussed Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Bambi. She first pointed out that many children today haven’t seen the original animated film.

I find Bambi particularly special because it’s a true classic and a beautifully artistic love story. It’s striking that many children today haven’t seen the original film, unlike more recent Disney hits like The Little Mermaid or Aladdin that were popular in the ‘90s. I’ve met so many kids who are completely unfamiliar with Bambi, and it’s really a loss for them.

The writer, who once worked on Bambi, pointed to the film’s well-known sad scene where the young deer’s mother dies. She believes that parents and children might be “more affected” by such upsetting parts now than they used to be, which could explain why Bambi isn’t as popular as it once was.

Without giving away too much of the story, the film includes a scene where the mother dies, and I believe this is upsetting for some children and parents more so than it used to be. That’s likely why some parents have chosen not to let their kids watch it.

Beer suggested there could be ways to refresh the underlying messages of Bambi to make them more relevant to today’s audiences. It’s unclear how much of the story he planned to change, including whether he would keep the pivotal scene of the mother deer’s death.

We believe Bambi could be successfully updated for modern audiences. Our approach expanded the story’s scope, and we think a relatable version would honor the original while connecting with today’s children.

The movie Tangled was almost cancelled, but it’s now confirmed with a cast and scheduled to begin filming this year, with an expected release in 2027. While Bambi isn’t currently moving forward, it could be revived later with a new creative team.

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2026-02-05 22:36