Disney’s decision to refresh old properties using live-action is moving full steam ahead. According to Deadline, Disney has tapped Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie to helm the live-action adaptation of the 1992 animated classic, Aladdin.
The news comes on the heels of the announcement of a Lion King live-action adaptation last month and the massive success of The Jungle Book earlier this year. Given The Jungle Book nearly broke the $1 billion mark, Disney seems to feel there is a gold mine with a return to old properties if done correctly, with possible franchises spawning from this.
Ritchie certainly has a familiar stylistic flair that made his two Sherlock films big successes and it’ll be interesting to see how he incorporates that into the beloved Aladdin storyline.
The 1992 version included a fantastic performance by the late Robin Williams as the Genie. Disney has opted to stay true to the original material and not veer too far away from what made those movies so memorable.
Aside from Ritchie’s involvement in the project, John August (Big Fish) has been brought on to pen the script and Dan Lin (The Lego Movie) will serve as producer. No release date has been set for the project.
Why this matters:
Disney owns some of the biggest movie properties in the world with Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, but now it’s now turning its attention to its other well-known properties (old animated/classic movies) that have a built-in fan base and a lot of goodwill.
With Cinderella and The Jungle Book proving to be successes, and Beauty and the Beast and Marry Poppins also getting live-action adaptations in the future, look for many more Disney live-action adaptations of its classic animated movies in the coming years.
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