Disney's live-action adaptation of Aladdin has shifted into high gear ever since the leads were officially announced at the D23 Expo earlier this summer. Filming is now underway and Will Smith has shared the first photo from the set. He setup a quick selfie for himself along with his fellow cast members, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and Marwan Kenzari. They all look ready to go. Check it out.
Everybody looks ready to have a good time making what should be an awfully fun movie. Unfortunately, the image, posted by Will Smith on Facebook, doesn't give us any sort of hint as to what the actual movie is going to look like. Nobody is in costume and the picture isn't being taken on any set. While there's certainly a lot that we know about the new movie by virtue of the fact that it is a remake, we're still curious about how this version may differ from the original. We know that there will be some differences, as the names of a handful of new characters have been released alongside the actors playing them, but how those changes will influence the story as a whole is unclear.
If there's one thing that we can read something into, it may be the fact that Will Smith is in the picture at all. Smith will be taking over the role of the Genie, that was originally voiced by the incomparable Robin Williams. While this remake is "live-action," that didn't mean the Genie wasn't still going to be some sort of CGI effect. It's possible that all we were going to get of Smith was his voice attached to a digital likeness. However, if that was the case, they wouldn't really need Smith on set with everybody else. While we're sure there will still be some computer wizardry as part of the character, it would seem that Smith himself will still be at the center of it.
Beyond that, those of us who weren't at the D23 Expo get to see our new Aladdin and Jasmine side by side for the first time. While they're not in costume, one assumes they other wise look pretty much the way they will look on screen. They look like they'll be perfect on screen together, and they also look super excited to be on set.
Aladdin is following Tim Burton's Dumbo into production on the schedule of live-action adaptations from Disney. Following the massive success of both The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, it's clear that Disney sees these remakes as their next major franchise to go right along side Star Wars and Marvel. Disney has also announced a live-action version of Mulan that will be coming, though production on that one has been moving slower, as it was pushed back from its previously announced November 2018 release date.
We're sure more details on Aladdin will be coming now that filming is underway. Until then, check out everything we know about the upcoming remake.
