Disney Is Developing A Medieval Live-Action Adventure Movie Called 'Knights'

Just as the endless deluge of remakes, sequels, and reboots from the House of Mouse were starting to wear thin, Disney revealed that it has a new original feature film in the works. But it's going back to medieval times to get it. The Knights movie is a new Disney live-action adventure film in development with Operation Finale screenwriter Matt Orton penning it.

Deadline reports that Disney is currently developing the live-action family adventure movie, Knights. Set in the European Middle Ages, Knights "will follow a headstrong young woman who joins a knight on his quest to destroy a world-threatening artefact before it falls into the wrong hands."Knights is still in early development, with Matt Orton, who wrote the Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley-starring Operation Finale, set to write the film and the Disney live-action team along with executives Jessica Virtue and Chaz Salembier overseeing it. But the exciting piece of news is that this is a theatrical release rather than a Disney+ project.

Disney has been heavily promoting Disney+, with buzzy titles from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and more set to premiere when the streaming service launches in November. The House of Mouse has some of its biggest stars headlining the Disney+ titles, which include TV shows and feature films like Lady and the Tramp, Stargirl, and more. What makes Knights such a big project that it gets to stand apart from the Disney+ titles and head to theaters? Because as much as streaming fans can argue, there is still a clear divide between movies that debut on streaming and ones that get a full-fledged theatrical release. Streaming can't help but carry that straight-to-video reputation — just look at the Disney live-action remakes that are being set for Disney+ versus theaters. Lady and the Tramp is a beloved film, for sure, but it doesn't carry the lucrative nostalgia that '90s films like Aladdin or The Lion King have.

Little is known about Knights for now, but for it to get a theatrical release, it's possible that Disney is looking to cast some big stars or launch a new franchise. Something that will get motivate families to get their butts in theaters rather than wait for it to hit streaming. But whatever the case, it's encouraging that Disney is peppering in a few original films amidst the endless stream of remakes and sequels.