Anne Hathaway is returning to a beloved early 2000s fantasy story as Disney+ develops a new television adaptation. The actor will executive-produce the series based on the 2004 cult classic film.
Ella Enchanted TV show in works at Disney+
According to Deadline, Disney+ has started developing an Ella Enchanted television series with Anne Hathaway attached as an executive producer.
The project comes from Miramax Television and Paramount Television Studios. Ilana Wolpert writes the series, while Beth Schwartz serves as showrunner and executive producer. Hathaway also executive produces alongside Johnathan Rice and Adam Shulman via Somewhere Pictures and iGen Studios. The series remains in early development.
The planned adaptation follows 16-year-old Ella of Frell, who lives under a curse forcing her to obey commands. After her mother dies, Ella attends a boarding school and investigates the truth behind her curse. Disney’s logline states she also “builds an unlikely found family” and handles “an extremely inconvenient crush on the prince of her kingdom.” The story keeps the novel’s central premise but shifts toward a coming-of-age narrative.
The series draws inspiration from Gail Carson Levine’s 1997 novel and the 2004 Miramax film starring Hathaway. However, the new version differs from the movie by emphasizing the boarding school storyline from Levine’s book. The 2004 adaptation largely focused on fairy-tale satire, pop culture references, and musical numbers. Levine previously described the film “as a different entity from the book.”
Hathaway’s involvement extends her longstanding relationship with Disney after starring in The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. During Disney’s upfront presentation, Hathaway said, “Like so many of you, I was introduced to Disney as a child, learning how to dream and tell stories.” She added, “Playing Mia in Princess Diaries became this magical portal that opened up my whole life.”
The original Ella Enchanted film starred Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, and Vivica A. Fox alongside Hathaway. Although the movie underperformed at the box office, it later gained cult status through DVD releases.
Meanwhile, Miramax and Paramount continue expanding television adaptations from the Miramax library following their collaboration on Cop Land.
