Disney has announced a new, live-action Aladdin spinoff movie centered around Prince Anders is in production and destined to premiere on their new streaming service, Disney+. The live action Aladdin remake was a world box office success despite some mixed reception by audiences and critics. This success was made all the more surprising given Guy Ritchie was directing as Ritchie is best known and loved for his gangster comedies, which tend to be a bit grittier than a Disney musical.
Disney has already talked about making a live-action sequel to Aladdin, and has likewise shown serious commitment to providing exclusive content for Disney+ alongside the large library of classics available on the service. There has been recent trouble for Aladdin star Mesa Massoud, however, who says he has been unable to even get auditions since the film came out. He has been able to get a spot on Hulu’s new gangster series, Reprisal, but he had to get Disney to sign off on it. Prince Anders, meanwhile, is a new character written for the live action Aladdin played by Billy Magnussen, an actor possibly best known for his role in 2014’s Into the Woods where he played Rapunzel’s Prince.
THR brings the exclusive report of this new live-action spinoff for Disney+, reporting also that Aladdin producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Elrich will be serving as producers on the as-yet untitled Prince Anders spinoff. If centering on the buffoonish Prince Anders wasn’t enough of an indication of the series’ expected tone, Jordan Dunn and Michael Kvamme are writing the script. Dunn and Kvamme have written comedy together in the past, including Operation Prince of Freedom for Fox.
Magnussen is actually responsible for the inception of this spinoff, as THR reports “He came to the producers with an idea for a story and was involved, along with the studio and Rideback, in meeting with potential writers.” This project will be quite different from other upcoming roles Magnussen has. He’s next appearing in the new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, followed by a role in a prequel for The Sopranos alongside Corey Stoll.
As mentioned above, the Aladdin live action remake came out to some mixed reception, catching some of the producers off guard. Still, it would be hard for Disney to ignore the reliable box office success of its recent live action remakes. Making a spinoff centered on a new character might help to give newer fans more of what they want while not risking backlash from those who grew up with the classic Disney animated movies and don’t want to see their childhood favorites touched (for better or worse).
More: Why Disney Remakes Keep Making $1 Billion (Despite Bad Reviews)
Source: THR
