Disney's live-action version of Aladdin continues to move forward and while we're still waiting for casting news on a couple of key roles that we know, it turns out that the movie has just cast a part brand new to this adaptation. Billy Magnussen, who formerly played a fairy tale prince in Into the Woods, will take on a role that did not exist in the original animated movie, a character called Prince Anders.
Beyond the name of the character and the actor playing him, we know nothing about who Prince Anders is or how he will fit into the story. Odds are that because the character is a prince, he'll be a potential suitor for Princess Jasmine. When Aladdin takes on the guise of Prince Ali in the animated version he simply has to convince Jasmine and her father that he's the real deal. It's possible that the live-action version will put Ali in a sort of competition against Anders for the love of Jasmine.
Disney had previously announced the casting of the majority of the major roles from the animated original, including Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, and Jafar. Billy Magnussen is the latest name to add to the list and he joins Nasim Pedrad and Numan Acar who have also been added to the film as characters new to this version of the story.
While Prince Anders is being called new by The Hollywood Reporter, there is the possibility that the character is based on somebody who does appear in the original Aladdin. Early in the movie, we witness this guy heading to the palace to try to woo the princess. In the original film, the character is called Prince Achmed, but it could be that Anders is based on him and that the role is being expanded.
Of course, it's also possible that Prince Anders will arrive, get bitten in the ass by a tiger, and then leave the movie just like Prince Achmed did. Without any details, we don't even know that the role is a significant one in the story. It certainly sounds like the film is adding a new subplot that we haven't seen before, but we'll need more information confirmed in order to know that for sure.
Aladdin is currently without a release date but considering how casting is moving along, we're guessing the movie may be eyeing the November 2018 date recently vacated by Disney's live-action version of Mulan which has been pushed back to 2019.
