The first teaser for the live-action adaption of the 1992 animated film “Aladdin” has just recently been released. The film which is directed by Guy Ritchie will be a reimagining, but will still be a musical. It's set to feature many of the same core characters such as Aladdin, The Genie, Princess Jasmine, and Jafar.
On the other hand, some of the fates of some of the periphery side characters like Abu, Iago and the magic carpet are much less clear. New, original human characters seem set to replace them. The only human character to appear in the teaser is the titular Aladdin played by Mena Massoud, who according to Variety “was cast in the role in July 2017.”
A whole new world
Live-action remakes of animated classics are hardly anything new even for Disney.
Just take a look at the 1996, “101 Dalmatians” remake. However, the original “Aladdin” was originally thought to be untouchable. On top of being arguably one of the best animated Disney films, there is the late great Robin Williams’ role as Genie to consider. It's so iconic, no one thought Disney could ever find a replacement.
While Will Smith is a tremendously charismatic actor, he’ll need to take the role of the Genie into a completely new direction if he hopes to stand a chance at winning over fans of the original. Another iconic role that the new film has yet to address, is that of Gilbert Gottfried as Iago. While Iago does appear in the trailer soaring above Agrabah, no casting news had been reported as of yet.
While Disney does have the opportunity to have Gottfried reprise the role like Frank Welker is as the Cave of Wonders, it seems unlikely considering Disney’s current stance on controversial statements and Gottfried’s uncensored comedy style. The trailer can be watched below.
In conclusion
In the end, only time will tell if this remake will satisfy fans of the original.
If nothing more, the cast this time around is far more culturally accurate with many middle eastern actors and actresses cast. As reported by Entertainment Tonight, “Last September, Smith shared the first cast photo from the set.“ The photo can be found on Smith’s Facebook. It shows off the main cast consisting of Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari and Smith himself who will play Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, Jafar and the Genie respectively.
“Aladdin” is expected to release May 24, 2019, several months before the live-action adaptation of “The Lion King” which is expected to release a few months later in July. If you're interested in other live action adaptations of beloved cartoons, check out this article on the upcoming live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Netflix show or this article on the recently announced live-action "Lilo and Stitch" film.
