Disney's Live-Action Aladdin Film Will Be An Explosive Musical

Disney is moving full speed ahead with its live-action renaissance, and that includes the upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin with director Guy Ritchie at the helm. It's a unique pairing, and that is partly why Disney and Ritchie wanted to do it.

Sean Bailey, who is president of motion picture production at Walt Disney Studios, recently spoke to Vulture about their plans for the beloved animated classic, and what fans can expect. "Guy became interested in doing a Disney movie and we talked a lot about it. When we talked about Aladdin, he said, 'My stories are really about street hustlers. That's what I know how to do. And Aladdin is a classic street hustler who makes good.' Guy's got his own version of that story in his life. But he wanted to honor and respect the Disney of it all. We never want to feel like we have a playbook to these things because we worry it'll make us creatively complacent. The idea of a highly energized Guy Ritchie Disney musical felt like, Oh, we haven't done that before."

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which currently enjoys a 72.94 on ComicBook.com's composite rankings, has been well received by fans and critics. Bailey knows Aladdin will also face a rather high bar, saying "We'll make sure we still spend a lot of time talking about the contract with the audience is on that particular title. We're going to have to deliver certain things in Aladdin."

Beauty and the Beast is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.

Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belles eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Beauty and the Beast is in theaters now, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge lands on May 26, 2017. Cars 3 is next up, racing into theaters on July 14, 2017, with Pixar's Coco hitting on November 22nd, 2017. Disney's live action Cruella currently has no release date, and neither does Maleficent 2, The Jungle Book sequel, or the live-action Aladdin. Toy Story 4 hits on July 13, 2018, and the live-action Mulan is scheduled for November 2nd, 2018. Mary Poppins Returns lands shortly thereafter on December 25, 2018.

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