Disney's remake of Lady and the Tramp is one of the highly anticipated movies heading to the company's streaming service, and now we know who will play the other title role. Justin Theroux had been previously revealed as the voice of the titular Tramp, and now it appears that Tessa Thompson will take the role of Lady.
While it doesn't appear to be a done deal quite yet, Collider is reporting that Tessa Thompson is in negotiations to take on the role of the female cocker spaniel who crosses paths with the stray dog Tramp and ends up seeing parts of her town she's never experienced before, culminating in a romantic Italian dinner and one of the most famous kisses in movie history.
Lady and the Tramp was one of the many, many, remakes Disney had announced plans to produce, though we knew little about it until recently when it was confirmed the movie was set not for a theatrical release, but as original content for Disney's announced streaming service. Several other projects, such as the previously announced Magic Camp, the Anna Kendrick-led Christmas film Noelle, and the remake of The Sword and the Stone are also expected to be part of the streaming service rather than get big screen releases.
In addition to Justin Theroux playing the other title role, Ashley Jensen has been cast as Jackie, a female version of Scottish terrier Jock from the original film. Along with the Tessa Thompson news today, comes the news that Benedict Wong will take the role of English bulldog Bull. On the human side of things, Kiersey Clemons will play Darling, one half of the couple that owns Lady.
Tessa Thompson has become one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood in recent years. She's done everything from big-budget blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok to the recent independent Sorry to Bother You. The fact that she's apparently coming on board the Lady and the Tramp is just more evidence that Disney wants its new streaming service to compete with the big boys. While nothing has been confirmed, it seems that the same CGI animation that was used to create the animals in The Jungle Book remake will also bring Lady and the Tramp to life. Clearly, Disney is sparing no expense to make the new streaming service attractive to Disney fans, since it will be the only way to see the new remake with such top-notch talent.
While Lady and the Tramp isn't necessarily one of the most popular titles in the annals of Disney animation, when I recently watched every Disney animated movie, I actually found it be one of the most purely entertaining films on the list. The streaming service will debut sometime in the bottom half of 2019, but exactly when we'll see Lady and the Tramp is currently unknown.
