While the House of Mouse is busy developing a feature follow-up to Aladdin, the new streaming service Disney+ has begun development on a film spin-off to the box office hit remake that will focus on Billy Magnussen’s Prince Anders, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The untitled spinoff is set to be scripted by up-and-comers Jordan Dunn and Michael Kvamme and won’t be a direct sequel to the first film, which is already in development at Disney, but should it move forward, Magnussen will reprise his role for the project.
Prince Anders, who was a potential suitor for Jasmine, was extremely dressed and a little on the dim side from the fictional kingdom of Skanland, but thanks to Magnussen’s performance, audiences really took a shine to the character. The 34-year-old actor reportedly had a major part in getting the project started by crafting the original idea for the story and coming to the producers with it and was involved in the search for writers for the project.
Magnussen has been on the rise lately with appearances in the acclaimed 2015 historical drama Bridge of Spies and biographical dramedy The Big Short, 2017’s well-received indie dramedy Ingrid Goes West and what’s seen as his breakout performance in last year’s dark comedy Game Night. He will next be seen in the final Daniel Craig Bond effort No Time to Die, which hits theaters in April, and the Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark, which is slated for a September 2020 release.
The spin-off will be produced by Aladdin‘s Dan Line and Jonathan Elrich through their banner Rideback, with the banner’s Ryan Halprin also attached to executive produce. The first film, a remake of the 1992 classic, was a surprise hit for Disney, amassing over $1 billion at the global box office while earning generally mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.
Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith (Ali, Men in Black) stars as the Genie in the new film alongside Mena Massoud (Amazon’s Jack Ryan) as the titular thief, the hapless but lovable street rat who is smitten with the Sultan’s daughter. Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) stars as Princess Jasmine, the Sultan’s beautiful daughter who wants to have a say in how she lives her life with Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) as Jafar, an evil sorcerer who devises a nefarious plot to unseat the Sultan and rule Agrabah himself.
Aladdin also stars Navid Negahban (Homeland) as the Sultan, Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Dalia, Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) as Prince Anders, and Numan Acar (Homeland) as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and head of the palace guards. In addition, Wreck-It Ralph‘s Alan Tudyk has also signed on to voice Jafar’s iconic parrot sidekick Iago.
The first film is currently available on digital, Blu-ray and DVD!
(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)
