Another day. Another update on Disney”s dozen or so remakes/reboots/reimaginings/rewhatevers of their animated classics. But today”s update is one that”s certainly on the unexpected side.
Guy Ritchie is in negotiations to direct the Disney”s live-action Aladdin movie, first reported as a prequel with the title Genies last year, though now this project looks to be an adaptation of Aladdin itself. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ritchie has been brought on to helm “an ambitious and non-traditional take on Aladdin.”
Well, ‘non-traditional” seems to be something we can count on when it”s a Disney-Guy Richie pairing. I”m trying to picture what a Guy Ritchie-directed Disney movie would look like – a musical(ish?), no less. THR is also saying the film “will keep many of the musical elements of the original,” though whether that means the songs from the 1992 movie will make an appearance is unclear – and my brain can”t quite reconcile the divisive, stylized director of violent fare like Snatch and Sherlock Holmes with a family-friendly genie. I suppose the bright side here is it won”t be a total rehash of an animated movie that”s frankly impossible for any reimagining to top.
In any case, Ritchie will be coming to the project that has its basis in a Middle Eastern folk tale right off of directing his take on another classic tale: His King Arthur: Legend of the Sword opens in theaters this March.