Disney expands long list of live-action adaptations with Cruella

Jumping on the buzz surrounding its line of upcoming live-action films, Disney is fast-tracking its Cruella de Vil movie.

The announcement comes just one day after Disney unveiled the release dates of four upcoming live-action films based on animated titles stored in their vault that are currently in development. The studio has been adding more live-action adaptations to its roster for quite some time, basing their decision on the massive success previous films have had at the box office, like Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland.

Alice in Wonderland surpassed $1 billion at the global box office while other films like Maleficent and Cinderella pulled in more than $500 million.

The studio hasn't said which of the four possible release dates Cruella (based on the elegant villain in 101 Dalmatians) will fill, but the fact that Disney is fast-tracking it points to the earliest date available, Dec. 22, 2017.

There are currently no potential actors or directors rumored to be in talks for the film, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has tapped Fifty Shades of Grey writer Kelly Marcel to pen the feature. Cruella de Vil has been portrayed before in the live-action adaptation of 101 Dalmatians and its sequel, 102 Dalmatians.

Cruella joins previously announced adaptions including Jon Favreau's Jungle Book (scheduled to be released on April 15, 2016) and Bill Condon's Beauty and the Beast (March 17, 2017).