Disney will continuetheir recent spateof live-action reboots of classic animated films with Genies, a prequel to 1992s Aladdincentered around one such magical lamp-dweller, Varietyreports.
The script will be written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the team behind Freddy Vs. Jason and the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th; the pair also wrote the upcoming comedy O Lucky Day, which will star Peter Dinklage. Tripp Vinson will produce the film through his production company Vinson Films, thoughDisney has yet to announce a director.
The late Robin Williams famously voiced the boisterous blue Genie in the original Aladdin.Disney, however, did not note whetherGenies will focus on the same character or a different one. While the project sadly arrives after Williams death last year, the actors shoes could be suitably filled byJames Iglehart, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Genie in the Broadway production ofAladdin.
Genies follows a handful of successful live-action remakes of seminal Disney films such as Cinderella, Maleficent(based on Sleeping Beauty) and Alice in Wonderland.As Varietyreported in April, Disney also has a live-action version of Pinocchio in the works written by About a Boy scribe Peter Hedges. The entertainment giant is also developing reboots of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan and Dumbo.
Disneys more immediate releases, however, include a version of TheJungle Bookthat will mixlive-action and animation; the film wasdirected by Jon Favreau and stars Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyongo and Christopher Walken. A new iteration of Beauty and the Beastwith Emma Watson is scheduled to arrive in 2017.