Well this is not an image I every thought I’d be photoshopping together…
Disney have announced they are making a live action version of the classic 1992 Disney cartoon Aladdin. So far, so predictable. What wasn’t so obvious was their rather left-of-field choice for director… Guy Ritchie!
Don’t get me wrong. I like Guy Ritchie’s movies. But the director of Snatch & Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels doing a Disney film? I don’t think anyone saw that coming! Admittedly, he’s moved into more youth-friendly films more recently, with the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Man From UNCLE, and the upcoming King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, but even so… It’s an interesting choice!
The film is being written by John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Corpse Bride, with The Lego Movie & Sherlock Holmes’ Dan Lin producing.
With Disney seemly converting all their cartoons to live action at the moment – Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast – it was only a matter of time before Aladdin got the makeover. It’s an obvious choice, although I do wonder what they will do about the genie. Robin William was so utterly iconic in that role, it’s hard to imagine any one else doing it. Then again, he will presumably be a CGI character. Could they maybe use the original tapes and just have him voice it again? If not, it’s a very brave actor who decides to fill those shoes (i’m now mentally repeating the mantra – please not Jim Carrey, please not Jim Carrey…)
Disney also recently announced that Jon Favreau about to start a ‘live-action’, or rather fully CGI version of The Lion King and a follow up to the Jungle Book. Aladdin does not yet have a release date, but I suspect it’s a least going to be 2018.
