Roger Rabbit Creator Reclaims Rights From Disney, Sets Live-Action Jessica Rabbit and More Projects in Motion

Gary K. Wolf is drawing a hard line on Roger Rabbit’s return: no sequel unless it meets the 1988 original’s standard—or it stays on the shelf.

Roger Rabbit might actually hop back onto screens again. Creator Gary K. Wolf says he has wrestled back control of his characters and books and is already developing new projects. Yes, after decades of legal molasses, the Toon detective universe might be moving again.

So what changed?

Wolf told fan site ImNotBad.com that he now controls the rights to his creations and can pursue his own Roger Rabbit projects. That was not the case for years: the movie rights were jointly held by Disney and Amblin, the partnership that gave us 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That film paired Bob Hoskins' weary private eye Eddie Valiant with Roger to look into the murder of the Acme Corporation boss, and it pulled off some once-in-a-lifetime crossovers, including Mickey Mouse sharing the frame with Bugs Bunny.

Wolf, who wrote the original novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit that inspired the film, says he discovered he could reclaim his rights using a copyright termination clause. Translation: a provision in U.S. law lets authors unwind old deals after a set period, which is exactly the kind of deep rights stuff that typically keeps beloved characters on ice.

What he is cooking

• A live-action Jessica Rabbit movie based on Wolf's book Jessica Rabbit: Xerious Business. He says this was the first thing they dug into and it is the furthest along right now.
• Films based on his later Roger Rabbit novels. No titles named yet, but the plan is broader than just Jessica.

The bar he is setting

Wolf is very aware that nostalgia alone will not cut it. He is promising not just more Roger, but better Roger.

'It has to be as good, or better than, what we did before. That is what the fans want, and I have promised the fans that is what I am going to give them.'

Why Roger went quiet for so long

Given that rights tangle, the character has mostly stayed on the shelf since 1988. He did pop up briefly in 2022's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin is still a staple at Disneyland. But new films? Nothing, until now.

With Wolf holding the keys, the development logjam might finally be clearing. Of course, development is not the same as a greenlight, but this is the first real movement in ages. If he can hit the quality bar he is talking about, Jessica and Roger could actually be back in a serious way.