Lady Tremaine from Cinderella. Image courtesy Disney.

In Cruella, viewers get to dive into the back story of Disney’s puppy-skinning mistress of mean, as played by Emma Stone. This isn’t the first time Disney has mined the histories of classic villains for their live-action films; Angelina Jolie and her razor-sharp cheekbones played Sleeping Beauty baddie Maleficent in two films.

But the Disney villain catalog is deep, and even if you rule out the animal characters, there are plenty of evil ones who can take center stage and headline their own adventures. Here are are few suggestions for some epic takes on Disney movie legends, complete with casting ideas.

Lady Tremaine, Cinderella
Is there any character more misunderstood (or stereotypical) than the wicked stepmother? Lady Tremaine in Cinderella, mother of two enormously unpleasant daughters, somehow convinced sweet Cinderella’s pop to marry her. What was that courtship like? What was her first marriage, to Drizella and Anastasia’s father, like? Anya Taylor-Joy would be a captivating Lady Tremaine – after all, she’s wicked, not hideous – embodying both the superficial charm and cunning survival instinct needed to achieve her status – and the cruel control of her daughters and stepdaughter to maintain it.

Sid, Toy Story

Sid, Toy Story. Image courtesy of Disney

Andy grew up over the course of the Toy Story franchise, but did we ever find out what happened to Sid, destroyer of toys? A Sid-centric tale, told from the perspective of his older, reformed self, could flash back to when – and why – he became the terror he was. Told from the perspective of an adult Sid, played by say, comedian/actor/really deep guy Bo Burnham, could flash back to his life as a younger child, and give us a look at his (probably abusive) parents. This probably isn’t going to be a feel-good flick, but there could be really deep and interesting redemption arc for a character that otherwise could have ended up as Pixar’s first serial killer.

Mother Gothel, Tangled

Mother Gothel from Tangled. Image courtesy Disney.

Not much is known about the sorceress who finagled the baby Rapunzel away from her parents, even going back to the fairy tale source material. The closest we get to a name for the character in The Brothers Grimm is Frau Gothel, which is a German occupation name meaning midwife. (Fitting, since she used Rapunzel’s mother’s pregnancy cravings against her.) So what was she like as a young woman? This could be a dark comedy, and though in Tangled, the character was inspired by Cher, Issa Rae (Insecure) has both the comedic and dramatic chops to play such a complex and magical person who grows greens to die for.

The Horned King, The Black Cauldron

The Horned King, The Black Cauldron. Image courtesy Disney.

The terrifying villain in The Black Cauldron comes from The Chronicles of Prydain children’s book series by Lloyd Alexander. In it, the Horned King appears only in the first book The Book of Three, with a slightly different storyline. In The Black Cauldron, he’s a big scary guy that wants to create an army of the undead using a magic cauldron. This backstory would be a fantasy epic a la Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, with The Horned King combining some of the worst aspects of Sauron and the Night King. This could be a great role for an older, action-adventure type like Sam Neill or Liam Neeson as this frightening, and nearly unstoppable supernatural horror.

Madam Mim, The Sword in the Stone

Madam Mim, The Sword in the Stone. Image courtesy Disney.

Going way back to the original source material, the real villain in the King Arthur story (chronicled among others by Thomas Malory in the 1400s) isn’t the silly witch from The Sword in the Stone, it’s Arthur’s half sister Morgause, or sometimes Morgan, whose history with Arthur is, to put it mildly, complicated. Madam Mim comes from the T.H. White book from which the movie draws most of its plot elements, and he drew inspiration from the Morgan le Fay of legend. Morgan as a young girl has been explored in books, but a movie about the sorceress who is powerful enough to fight Merlin but who is wounded by her misguided love for her brother, the boy who would be king, could be really powerful. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who absolutely rocked Fleabag as a tough but vulnerable woman would be perfect in the role.

Claude Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Judge Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Image courtesy Disney.

Yikes…this guy is dark. Between lusting after Esmeralda and torturing poor Quasimodo, is there anything to redeem about this character?  In Hunchback, Frollo is a religious zealot with no tolerance for sinners. He believes Romani people (“gypsies”, as he refers to them) to be the worst and dedicates his life to eradicating them. Frollo’s self-imposed mission drives him to perform inhumane acts of violence, all the while using his loyalty to God as justification…but what if he came from a much more tolerant place? After all, after the song “Hellfire” in the animated film, he does beg for God’s mercy for Esmeralda and mercy on him for his plans, and he spares Quasimodo in part as penance for his killing his mother, so he is capable of some guilt – in his own twisted way. What if Frollo was an idealistic young judge who had a bad romance with a Romani woman, and allowed that to turn him into a monster? This is definitely a role Adam Driver could play.