A sequel to Disney’s live-action Aladdin is officially in the works

From last year’s Aladdin and The Lion King to the Mulan movie hitting theaters next month, Disney is all about live-action adaptations of its classic animated movies lately. And Aladdin did so well — raking in over a billion dollars internationally while it was in theaters — that a sequel was all but inevitable. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that one is on the way.

Guy Ritchie is reportedly returning to direct the sequel, while Andrea Berloff and John Gatins will be writing it. The main cast of the first movie is also likely to return, though no contracts have been signed as of yet. Presumably, this means we’ll see Mena Massoud portraying Prince Ali once more, with Will Smith returning as the Genie and Naomi Scott as Jasmine. If the movie is anything like the animated Aladdin sequel, Marwan Kenzari could also take up Jafar’s staff again — though the fact that it took producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich nearly six months to decide which direction they’d take the next installment in suggests it may not be an adaptation of 1994’s The Return of Jafar.

Given the focus on Jasmine becoming Sultan at the end of the first film — a major deviation from the animated classic — viewers may get to see her take on a leadership role in the new movie. As far as villains go, it seems safe to assume Jafar isn’t truly gone, but it’s also possible Disney will introduce a new antagonist. It all depends on what sort of storylines the filmmakers are planning to pursue.

Not much else is currently known about Aladdin 2, though it will reportedly be a theatrical release, meaning those with Disney+ will have to wait until it’s out on DVD to watch it at home. With the sequel still in its early stages, it will probably be a while until it finally hits theaters. With any luck, we’ll receive updates when it begins filming.

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