Disney Announces New ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Spinoff ‘The Curse of a Forsaken Heart’

Disney has been quietly expanding its collection of adult reimaginings, exploring how far it can take beloved fairy tales into darker, more mature realms. From twisted villain backstories to alternate timeline retellings, the studio has demonstrated a genuine interest in presenting classic characters from a fresh perspective.

This experimentation has primarily existed in literature, with novels and graphic adaptations aimed at readers who grew up with these tales but seek something edgier. D23 provided Disney with the ideal platform to formalize this strategy into a larger initiative.

At this year’s event in Anaheim, Disney Publishing officially introduced “Disney Cursed Love,” a new romantasy initiative focused on reimagining some of the studio’s “most iconic love stories” through a darker lens. The series kicks off with “The Curse of a Forsaken Heart,” a narrative centered on Belle and the Beast, marking the franchise’s most provocative fairy tale reinterpretation to date.

According to Disney’s description, the “Disney Cursed Love” series aims to “engage readers through seductive, action-packed romantasy adventure, entangled in dark magic, terrible curses and epic romance.” This represents a significant tonal shift for a studio traditionally associated with family-friendly storytelling, highlighting Disney’s commitment to creating content for older, more mature audiences.

The first installment is penned by bestselling romance author Emily McIntire, known for her bold reimaginings of classic tales, with illustrations by Samairu. The title will initially debut as a webcomic on Webtoon before transitioning into print formats in 2027, offering fans multiple avenues to experience the story.

The plot takes Belle and the Beast far beyond their familiar castle. According to Disney’s official synopsis, the couple is drawn into a magical realm through an enchanted stained-glass window, where they discover that the fate of this world is intertwined with a cursed princess named Emberlynne, who once rejected a marriage proposal from an evil sorcerer.

This refusal has cursed the entire kingdom to live without love, affecting anyone who enters its borders, including Belle and the Beast. They must assist Emberlynne in finding her own love story to break the curse and return home, merging the studio’s classic romance with a distinctly higher-stakes fantasy narrative.

This isn’t Disney’s first attempt at giving “Beauty and the Beast” a darker twist. The studio previously released “As Old as Time,” a Twisted Tale webcomic that reimagined Belle’s mother as the enchantress who cursed the Beast, sending them on a complex journey through hidden family history.

“Disney Cursed Love” signifies the next evolution of this trend, expanding beyond a single reimagining into an entire ongoing series focused on romance and fantasy. The announcement also enhances Disney’s growing partnership with Webtoon, which has already adapted over 20 fan-favorite comics into its vertical-scroll format through a dedicated Disney section within the app.

No specific release date has been announced for “The Curse of a Forsaken Heart,” with Disney indicating that more details will be shared later. Given the excitement surrounding the announcement, fans are likely to keep a close eye on updates in the coming months.

The reveal has already generated significant conversation online, with fans both intrigued and slightly taken aback by how far Disney is willing to push one of its most cherished love stories.

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