When does The Lunar Chronicles premiere? Nov 3, 2028 — Raffaele; WBPA/Locksmith animated Meyer series; ≠ Bad Fairies; ≠ live-action.
Current target date: Friday, November 3, 2028 (Theatrical premiere). We update this page when studios or publishers move the window.
Lunar Chronicles opens Nov 3, 2028 (WBPA/Locksmith). Raffaele; Meyer YA animated. ≠ Bad Fairies. ≠ Disney live-action.
Theatrical premiere
Friday, November 3, 2028
November 3, 2028 — Meyer’s cyborg Cinderella finally gets a Locksmith Friday
The Lunar Chronicles opens Friday, November 3, 2028. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith bring Meyer’s New Beijing / Lunar court saga to theaters under Raffaele — animated sci-fi fairy tale, not a live-action YA dump. Steinberg produces; Devlin designs; ILM boards the look.
Rights bounced through earlier Universal chatter before WB/Locksmith locked the slate. Bad Fairies is the sibling collab earlier on the calendar — different fairies.
Confirmed: Nov 3 2028 animated Meyer film — not live-action, not Bad Fairies
Confirmed: November 3, 2028 theatrical; Raffaele; WBPA/Locksmith; Meyer series adaptation; Ferrentino/Egan/Sentell script. Not confirmed as live-action, as a Disney project, or as undated. Fake “Lunar Chronicles — 2026 Netflix” stubs are wrong platform and year.
From YA shelves to a November 2028 New Beijing
- 2012–15 — Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles novels publish.
- 2019–23 — Locksmith/WBPA rights path solidifies (after earlier studio interest).
- Raffaele attached to direct; writers’ room set.
- Jun 2025 Annecy — November 3, 2028 date announced.
- Crew expands — Devlin PD; ILM; Steinberg producing.
Before November 2028 — buy Lunar Chronicles, not the wrong fairy tale
- Marquee: The Lunar Chronicles / November 3, 2028 — Warner Bros.
- Animated — not a live-action Cinder remake stub.
- ≠ Bad Fairies (Locksmith’s other WBPA title).
- ≠ Disney princess remakes.
- Book order starts with Cinder — spoilers travel with fandom.
Locksmith hired a Beyoncé-stage designer and ILM for a cyborg Cinderella — that’s not a generic YA cartoon Friday
Most animated book adaptations sell “beloved IP + fall date.” Lunar Chronicles’ interesting stack is Es Devlin’s production design + ILM on a Meyer world that mixes plague, androids, and Lunar aristocracy — then Warner stamped November 3, 2028 beside Dynamic Duo and Hello Kitty on the same slate year. The fairy-tale labels are bait; the industrial design is the flex.
SEO that still calls this live-action Disney or undated vaporware is arguing with Annecy’s date card.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this release date.
1When does The Lunar Chronicles open?
November 3, 2028 in theaters from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation. That Friday was locked at Annecy when the project got its theatrical date.
2Is it live-action or animated?
Animated feature. Noëlle Raffaele directs; Lindsey Ferrentino and Kalen Egan & Travis Sentell write; Christina Steinberg produces. Es Devlin joins as production designer; ILM is on visual work.
3What books is it based on?
Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles YA series — sci-fi twists on Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White (starting with Cinder). It is not a Disney princess remake package.
4Is this Bad Fairies?
No. Bad Fairies is the earlier Locksmith/WBPA musical (2027). Lunar Chronicles is the second collaboration — different IP, November 2028.
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