What to Expect at D23 2026: Disney Live-Action

Since Disney’s last D23 Expo in 2024, the Walt Disney Company has had some ups and downs at the box office. 2025-2026 has seen some big IPs succeed at the box office, such as Lilo & Stitch and Freakier Friday but we have also seen some of their IP stumble, including Tron: Ares, Snow White, and most recently Moana. This year’s Disney Entertainment Showcase is going to need to bring the goods.

Let’s dive into Disney Studios and what we can expect to see and hear, as well as my big swing for the fences prediction.

Disney Studios

After catastrophic failures from Moana and Tron: Ares, Disney’s live-action division is going to need to start the show off with a bang. That’s where the 2027-possibly 2028 release calendar is shown.

Tangled is the biggest project currently filming in Spain, while I do not expect the cast to be there with filming expected to be ongoing during the event, I do expect an official logo, first look images, and quite possibly the smallest of teasers, as set photos/videos have recently swarmed the internet. Imagine Teagan Croft (Rapunzel) and Milo Manheim (Flynn Rider) singing as lanterns float in the air for the film’s first teaser. There are unconfirmed reports that the film is eyeing a 2028 release, but I could easily see this film nabbing a surprise 2027 release.

Lilo & Stitch 2 was quickly confirmed after the first live-action film grossed over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office in 2025. Chris Sanders, the voice of Stitch and director behind the original animated film, is taking over directing duties on the sequel, so just as they did during the D23 Expo in 2024, I’d expect them to reveal who is returning to the cast and a tease of what characters are to come. This has not started filming and isn’t expected to until later this year, so do not expect to see anything outside of maybe Stitch revealing a new logo and release date.

Hocus Pocus 3 is the franchise’s return to the big screen; this is another project I’d expect to see a logo reveal for, and of course it wouldn’t be a party without bringing the Sanderson Sisters – Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy- onstage. 

Princess Diaries 3 has been in various stages of development for a few years now, and I’d be shocked if we finally didn’t get some updates with Hathaway and Disney Legend Julie Andrews in attendance.

Inspector Gadget, now here is a movie you probably didn’t expect to see here. While I am not saying this is happening, the movie has a script, a director, and, from what I was told, a star in Will Ferrell, so we may see an official announcement.

Films That Could Quickly Be Highlighted 

The creatives behind Cruella still say a sequel is in the works; that said, Emma Stone continues to book other projects, making Cruella 2 far less likely. Hercules has had some ups and downs in development, but a tease could come, a very small one, as a director has not come aboard since Guy Ritchie left the project a couple of years ago. A live-action Tiana film was just reported and is in VERY EARLY development; we may not hear anything at this D23 Expo outside of just a quick announcement. While a Maleficent 3 and spin-off were both being developed at one point, sources say the villain movie gaining the most steam is Gaston, and it is a possibility a director and actor reveal could happen, but I wouldn’t bet all my money on that. I have heard great things about the Club 33 script, and maybe Disney will want to pivot from just remakes and visit the history and lore behind Disneyland’s exclusive club. Finally, Monster Jam, a movie I to this day think will never happen, but Disney teased it in 2024, so who knows.

Swing-For-The-Fences Prediction

Disney will want/need to bring the house down with a big announcement, and what could be bigger than confirming the return to their biggest franchise in the last 20 years, Pirates of the Caribbean. It would instantly become one of the most talked-about D23 moments and dominate entertainment headlines for days. While there have been years of speculation about Depp’s future, what I do know is producers want him back, the studio wants him back, and despite what he has said in the past, Johnny Depp wants to be back. Depp is coming off his surprise appearance at San Diego Comic Con promoting his film Ebenezer, where the actor plays the titular character. I spoke with a couple of people who saw a test screening of Ebenezer, and they relayed to me that Depp was in his element and they felt this movie is teeing up a return to these types of roles, which Jack Sparrow falls under.

We won’t have to wait long to see what Disney plans to bring to the event as the D23 Expo kicks off on August 14. Follow along in the coming days for predictions on Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm.