'Aladdin': Sequel to Disney's live-action in 'early stages' of development
If you walked out of the theater last year after watching 'Aladdin' and couldn't stop thinking "Man, I wish this movie has a sequel," your wish is granted.
Following the success of last summer's reboot, Disney is developing a follow-up to the movie. They really know how to milk the whole live-action remake business for all its worth. The movie might be in early development, but Variety reveals that the project will be taken forward with writers John Gatins (Flight, Real Steel) and Andrea Berloff ('Straight Outta Compton', 'he Kitchen'). The movie is set to be a theatrical release.
There is no official word about Guy Ritchie's return as director and there is no confirmation about actors Mena Massoud, Will Smith and Naomi Scott either. Talks will commence with the cast once the script is ready. However, Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich will be returning as producers and Ryan Halprin will serve as executive producer.
The report also states that after spending the last six months trying to figure out in which direction the movie is headed, the producers have found their story. The original animated movie had two straight-to-video sequels, but sources say this new take is completely original and not based on those ideas. Based on the 1992 animated classic, 'Aladdin' joined Disney's roster of live-action remakes and was a hit in no time earning over $355 million domestically and over $1 billion worldwide. The movie joined Disney's four other movies that crossed the billion-dollar mark last year - 'Captain Marvel', 'Avengers: Endgame' and the live-action remakes of 'Lion King' and 'Toy Story 4'.
Following the success of the movie, it was evident that audiences wanted more but also knew that they would have to find the right way. After a long wait and multiple pitch meetings with several writers later, the producers found exactly what they were looking for after meeting with Gatins and Berloff.
Academy Award nominee Gatins earned the nomination for his work on the Denzel Washington drama 'Flight'. His most recent project was 'Power Rangers'. Berloff is best known for writing 'World Trade Center', and co-writing 'Straight Outta Compton', for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.