The 2004 cult favorite is headed to Disney+, and the original star is executive producing the whole thing.
Anne Hathaway isn’t done with Disney — not even close.
The Oscar winner is executive producing a new TV series adaptation of Ella Enchanted for Disney+, Deadline confirmed. The project is currently in early development and is co-produced by Miramax Television and Paramount Television Studios. Ilana Wolpert, who wrote the hit romcom Anyone But You, is penning the script.
Beth Schwartz, the showrunner behind Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives and Sweet Tooth, is attached to run the show.
No cast has been announced yet, and a release date has not been set.
What the New Series Will Look Like
The Disney+ series will keep the core story fans already love — but with one significant twist.
In the new version, Ella is sent to a boarding school after her mother’s death, where she begins to understand more about her curse, builds new friendships, and deals with a growing romantic connection with a prince.
That boarding school setting doesn’t come from the 2004 film — it actually comes directly from four chapters in Gail Carson Levine’s original novel, where Ella is relentlessly bullied but also finds her best friend.
The series shifts away from the film’s Cinderella-style trappings for more of a coming-of-age story — a reframing similar to what Wednesday did for the Addams Family universe.
A Quick Refresher on the Original
In 2004, director Tommy O’Haver brought Gail Carson Levine’s 1997 novel to the big screen, with Hathaway starring as Ella — a young woman cursed with obedience who sets out to break the spell while navigating royal drama, ogres, giants, and a growing romance with Prince “Char” Charmont, played by Hugh Dancy.
The cast also included Cary Elwes, Vivica A. Fox, Joanna Lumley, and Minnie Driver.
The film wasn’t a box office hit — it grossed only $27.4 million against a $31 million budget and holds a 51% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
But over the next two decades, it quietly built one of the most loyal fanbases in early-2000s cinema. For a whole generation of kids who grew up watching it on DVD, Ella Enchanted is anything but forgettable.
Why Hathaway’s Involvement Actually Means Something
This isn’t just a studio slapping a familiar name on a legacy IP. Hathaway’s connection to this story and to Disney runs deep.
At Disney’s recent upfront presentation, Hathaway said, “Like so many of you, I was introduced to Disney as a child, learning how to dream and tell stories. Playing Mia in Princess Diaries became this magical portal that opened up my whole life.”
This marks the latest in a series of franchise returns for Hathaway at Disney. She recently reprised her role as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and is set to return as Mia Thermopolis in the long-awaited Princess Diaries 3.
This summer, she’ll also play Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and later this year she stars alongside Dakota Johnson in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity.
