Dan Trachtenberg is about to work his rejuvenation magic on Sleeping Beauty.
According to Deadline, Trachtenberg is set to direct an untitled project for Disney inspired by the studio’s 1959 animated classic. While still in early development, the film is said to take the story of Sleeping Beauty in an entirely new direction.
Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf are penning the script, based on a story by Trachtenberg and Rayna McClendon. The movie will have no connection to Disney’s previous live-action take on Sleeping Beauty — the Angelina Jolie-starring Maleficent films, which were released between 2014 and 2019.
If development goes well, the untitled Sleeping Beauty reboot will likely be Trachtenberg’s next feature after his top-secret picture at Paramount, which he’s currently in pre-production on. Trachtenberg signed a three-year first-look directing and producing deal with the studio in February 2026.
Dan Trachtenberg Successfully Revived Predator
It’s not surprising to see Disney letting Trachtenberg tackle one of its princesses. After all, the filmmaker successfully revived the Predator franchise for 20th Century Studios with a string of well-received movies beginning with 2022’s Prey. Trachtenberg’s three Predator movies are the highest-rated entries in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes.
While Disney and 20th Century Studios have not revealed any plans for the future of the Predator franchise, Trachtenberg told ScreenRant that he has one more idea for a movie.
“When I was figuring out what to do after Prey, the ideas for Badlands, Killer [of] Killers, and a third project were all equally exciting. So the idea of doing that third thing would be an absolute thrill,” he said in November 2025.
Are you excited to see how Trachtenberg reimagines Disney’s Sleeping Beauty?
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