It seems a week doesn’t go by that Disney isn’t inking a deal to bring its classic animated hits back to the big screen as live action films. It was recently announced that Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) would tackle The Lion King. Recently, Disney’s Mulan got a set release date.
Now comes word that Guy Ritchie is in talks to direct Aladdin. The original 1992 hit, and winner of two Oscars, is most remembered because of Robin Williams voicing the Genie.
Ritchie, who has been firmly in camp with Warner Bros. after a pair of Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, gave us the criminally underseen and cool as an ice cream sundae summer treat The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. Recently, Ritchie wrapped King Arthur: Legend of the Sword for the studio, which will open in March 2017.
Successful re-imagined releases for Disney have included Maleficent, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland (followed by a substandard sequel), and The Jungle Book. The studio will release a live-action Beauty and the Beast in spring, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Luke Evans.
