Following in the footsteps of Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and last year year’s box office juggernaut Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin is the latest live-action reimagining to enter development over at Disney, with the studio also making plans to bring us a Jungle Book sequel, Mulan, The Lion King and a Dumbo movie from the inimitable Tim Burton. Yes, it would seem no fairytale is beyond the reach of the Mouse House’s wildly ambitious new hobby.
Said to be a reimagining of the 1992 classic, director Guy Ritchie and his team have vowed to deliver a modern-day yarn with Aladdin that’s both nuanced and faithful to the beloved original, which featured a terrific, memorable performance from the late, great Robin Williams.
In his stead, Will Smith (Suicide Squad) will take over the role of the gregarious Genie for this new spin on the tale, and earlier today, the actor hopped on Twitter to share the very first poster for the film. Given that this is the first piece of marketing we’ve seen, it doesn’t reveal a whole lot, but it does sport the tagline “Choose Wisely” in addition to teasing the May release date.
Speaking about what to expect a while back, Navid Negahban, who’s set to play Jasmine’s father, explained Ritchie’s approach to character development while also showering praise on the project’s costume designers:
He’s very, very cautious. He wants to show the depth of each of these characters and the film itself will be a film that no matter how old you are, you’re going to enjoy it. It’s a fantastic team. Beautiful, beautiful team. I mean, you will see the costumes. Gorgeous! Unbelievable!
That’s certainly exciting to hear, and with any luck, a trailer will follow on from this first poster before the year’s out. Until then, though, know that Aladdin is one of three Disney remakes coming in 2019, squeezed between Dumbo and The Lion King, and you’ll be able to take a magic carpet ride to the theater to see it on May 24th, 2019.
