Skip to main content

Will Smith goes big and blue in first trailer for live-action ‘Aladdin’ movie

Disney's Aladdin - Special Look: In Theaters May 24

Ever since Disney announced plans for a live-action Aladdin movie with Will Smith playing the genie, people have been wondering how the shape-shifting character with cosmic powers will appear in the film.

Recommended Videos

The first trailer for Aladdin finally has an answer — and it’s very, very blue.

Directed by Sherlock Holmes and Snatch filmmaker Guy Ritchie from a screenplay penned by John August (Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Aladdin is based on Disney’s 1992 animated feature of the same name, which was itself inspired by the famous collection of Middle Eastern folktales known as One Thousand and One Nights.

Aladdin casts Jack Ryan actor Mena Massoud as Aladdin, a street-smart thief in the Arabian city of Agrabah who falls in love with Princess Jasmine (Power Rangers actress Naomi Scott), the beautiful daughter of the Sultan (Homeland actor Navid Negahban). Scheming to take over the city for himself is the villainous sorcerer Jafar, played by Murder on the Orient Express actor Marwan Kenzari, whose attempt to gain control of a magical, wish-granting genie (Smith) backfires and puts the genie’s lamp in Aladdin’s hands.

The supporting cast includes Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Jasmine’s friend, Dalia; Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) as the suitor Prince Anders; and Numan Acar (Homeland) as Hakim, the head of the palace guards.

Nominated for five Academy Awards and the winner of two, the animated Aladdin famously featured Robin Williams as the voice of the genie, and was one of many animated features from Disney to earn critical acclaim for the studio in the ’90s. The live-action film will include new recordings of many of the songs that were the hallmark of its animated predecessor, with eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the BeastThe Little Mermaid) composing the score. It will also feature two new songs written by Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, winners of Academy Awards and Tony Awards for La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen, respectively.

Aladdin is the latest live-action remake of a classic Disney animated feature, following the success of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast and 2016’s The Jungle Book, among others. It is scheduled to hit theaters May 24.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Finally, DC is making a Teen Titans live-action movie
The cast of DC's Titans.

The next chapter of the DC superheroes will begin in 2025 with James Gunn's Superman reboot, but the Man of Steel is going to have some company down the line. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Studios is planning a live-action Teen Titans feature film, and the screenwriter has already been lined up.

Ana Nogueira, the writer of the upcoming film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, will tackle the Teen Titans screenplay. Prior to focusing on her creative endeavors, Nogueira was best-known as an actress who had recurring roles on The Vampire Diaries, The Blacklist, and Hightown. She was also one of the main cast members of The Michael J. Fox Show.

Read more
3 great action movies on Tubi you need to watch in February
A man holds a gun while standing next to a woman.

If you're not on Tubi, what are you waiting for? Since Tubi is a FAST service, subscribers can access 50,000 movies and TV shows for free with ads. With the rising costs of streaming services, why wouldn't you take advantage of a streamer that doesn't hurt your wallet?

Once you sign up for Tubi, what should you watch? This February, our suggestion is to explore the action genre. We picked three great action movies to watch this month. Our selections include a shark thriller, an underrated sports drama, and an action comedy with two A-list stars.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Read more
A Death Stranding live action movie is on the way from A24
Sam Porter Bridges and Fragile holding their foreheads together.

Kojima Productions announced it is working with A24 to create a live-action movie based on Death Stranding.

A24 is the studio behind critically acclaimed films like Lady Bird and Everything Everywhere All at Once, but it has not stepped into the realm of video game adaptations until now. As for why Kojima chose to work with A24, he says in a press release that its "innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last eight years."

Read more