Disney Taps Guy Ritchie to Direct 'Aladdin' Live-Action Remake

Disney is continuing on its quest to turn all of its beloved animated features into live-action flicks, with 1992's "Aladdin" up next. The film already has a script, and now, a big name director is reportedly attached, too.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Guy Ritchie ("Sherlock Holmes," "Snatch," the upcoming "King Arthur") is currently in negotiations to take the helm of the live-action "Aladdin." Ritchie is apparently being sought after specifically to add his personal touch to the studio's so-called "ambitious and non-traditional" take on the source material, with Disney looking to "make [the story] non-linear," per THR.

It's unclear if this project has now taken priority over Disney's rumored prequel about the Genie (voiced in the original by the late Robin Williams), which would have focused on the character's days before he met Aladdin, and told the story of how he became imprisoned in the lamp. According to reports from last year, the intention was for that movie to have then been followed by the "Aladdin" remake, though THR doesn't mention the prequel in this new report.

Disney may have dropped its plans for that project simply because the thought of messing with Williams's Genie legacy was too daunting. As it stands now, THR says, "Still to be determined [in the 'Aladdin' remake] is the approach to the Genie, which to this day remains closely associated to Williams' singular and defining performance." The studio may have wanted to tread lightly with that character -- thus abandoning the prequel idea altogether -- while figuring out how best to update him, and still properly honor Williams's memory.

As it stands now, the studio is working from a script by John August, who's written a bunch of Tim Burton movies, including "Big Fish" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," among other projects. The plan is to "keep many of the musical elements of the original," per THR, though it's unclear what songs will make the cut. Stay tuned.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]

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