Promotional still from Netflix’s “Steps.” 2026.
How many reboots, remakes, and requels will Hollywood produce before the madness ends? At least two more, it appears, as Disney and Netflix have announced competing movies focusing on Cinderella’s stepsisters.
While Disney’s Stepsisters is said to shift focus from Cinderella to the traditionally antagonistic Anastasia and Drizella, Netflix’s in-house news site, Tudum, offers a more robust synopsis of the streaming giant’s version:
“Steps tells the story of Cinderella’s ‘evil’ stepsisters, Lilith and Margot. When misunderstood Lilith is blamed for hijacking the royal ball with a stolen magic wand, she accidentally turns Sister Margot into a frog and leaves the kingdom in the hands of a prince-obsessed mean girl. Now Lilith must team up with Cinderella and a surprisingly dreamy troll to save the kingdom, repair the fractured fairy tale, and prove that even so-called villains deserve a shot at happily ever after.”
Besides likely continuing the two-decade-long trend of lackluster reimaginings of beloved stories, the flicks are also poised to perpetuate a couple of troubling tropes in modern narrative: the deconstructed hero and the misunderstood villain.
For an upcoming example of the former, we turn to Hugh Jackman’s The Death of Robin Hood….
Cole Powell is an arts and media commentator, and award-winning singer/songwriter from. Jayess, Mississippi, USA, with degrees in computer technology, liberal arts, and theology. https://colepowell.net