Prey Director Officially Developing Classic Disney Tale for New Movie

Dan Trachtenberg is continuing his Disney partnership with a brand-new project. According to a recent report by Deadline, sources have revealed that Trachtenberg, who relaunched the Predator franchise, is developing a new movie inspired by Sleeping Beauty. The untitled project is currently in early development. Trachtenberg plans to bring his distinct sensibility to the table and take the classic story in a completely new direction.

Trachtenberg helped relaunch the Predator franchise in 2022 with Prey. The movie was an immense success on Hulu, winning over both critics and audiences. It also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.

What We Know So Far About Disney’s New Sleeping Beauty Movie

A Still from Original Animated Sleeping Beauty | Credit: Disney

According to the outlet, the new Sleeping Beauty movie is not connected to Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent films. Rather, it’s an original take on the classic fairy tale. That said, the plot details of the new project remain under wraps. The report, so far, confirms who is involved with the development apart from Trachtenberg.

Raya McClendon and the Prey director teamed up to come up with the new story. Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf are currently writing the script. Star Wars producer Michelle Rejwan is producing along with Ben Rosenblatt. Trachtenberg has a long list of collaborations with Rosenblatt, including 10 Cloverfield Lane and three Predator movies. EVP Production Jessica Virtue, creative executive Alina Mota, and Disney Live Action president Daria Creek are also involved with the project.

Dan Trachtenberg‘s previous ties with Disney spark anticipation for the new movie. The director has collaborated with the studio on the 2022 movie Prey. He continued the collaboration with another Predator film, Predator: Badlands, in 2025. Trachtenberg also directed the animated Predator movie, Killer of Killers. Released in 2025 on Hulu, it scored 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Notably, the Predator movies made by Trachtenberg have the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores in the entire franchise that launched in 1987.

Meanwhile, there are three Disney-produced stories tied to the classic tale: the original animated Sleeping Beauty that released in 1959, and was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Maleficent (2014) starring Angelina Jolie and its sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). Are you excited to watch Sleeping Beauty return to Disney in a new avatar? Let us know in the comments.