After Aladdin’s phenomenal success, which made over $1 billion in total revenue despite being the subject of several jokes about Will Smith’s genie, some dubious casting decisions, and criticisms about the live-action film’s director. Guy Ritchie, the director of the largest live-action remake to date, has already been given the reins of another Disney live-action film, Hercules, as was revealed earlier in June. There will be a live-action sequel to Aladdin just as there was one for the animation version.
Ritchie will be back behind the camera to create the live-action magic, but as has happened with everything related to movies in recent years, production and release dates have been postponed. Nonetheless, there is one thing we do know for definite as of right now. However, no official statement from Disney or the filmmaker has been made since then to fully validate that rumor, especially given that the sequel isn’t expected to hit theatres for another couple or three years. Given that they recently gave him Hercules, it would be unusual if he didn’t also receive Aladdin 2 for some reason.
Ritchie is currently extremely busy, so it seems more probable that Disney and Ritchie are waiting to see what the final screenplay looks like and trying to find time in Ritchie’s already hectic schedule. If a different filmmaker were taking over, it also seems like the news would have broken by this point. We’ll venture a guess and assume he’ll accept the task; by then, it will be his third Disney live-action remake. If that’s the case, we’re willing to wager that Ritchie will have discovered both good and negative things about the production of Aladdin, and he’ll get the chance to use more originality in Hercules, which may lead to Aladdin 2 being even better than its predecessor.
Why wouldn’t a heist movie be in Aladdin 2? Perhaps Aladdin and Jasmine enter a new planet and encounter British street thugs. They must now decide whether to win them over or beat them (or both). Even if there are still many unanswered questions, the project has at least been publicized, and several original cast members are still holding out hope that they will be asked to return for the sequel.
A cast of Aladdin 2
Let’s start at the top and possibly the most important query, given the, eh, controversy Smith literally sparked earlier this year.
As of right now, no one has been named to take Smith’s place as the beloved blue Genie in Aladdin 2, and he hasn’t even been officially confirmed to be joining the project after a number of other endeavors decided to drop him or distance themselves from him in the wake of the Oscars slap seen around the globe.
Because they are the two primary protagonists of the film, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott will almost certainly reprise their roles as Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively. a whole spinoff? They are unforecastable, right?