Disney’s live-action take on Aladdin is kicking off with Will Smith posting the first picture from the set of the movie, alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Jasmine) and Marwan Kenzari (Jafar). Filminh has begun at Longcross Studios outside London, with Guy Ritchie directing.
We also know the movie is going to have a few differences from the animated classic, not least that Bridge Of Spies and Broadway star Billy Magnussen has signed up for the movie. He’ll be playing a brand new character called Prince Anders, who’s described as ‘a suitor from Skanland and potential husband for Princess Jasmine’. Also in the movie are Navid Negahban (Homeland) as the Sultan, the ruler of Agrabah who is eager to find a proper husband for his daughter, Jasmine; Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s hand maiden and confidante; and Numan Acar (Homeland) as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and head of the palace guards.
No release date has been officially set, although many expect it to arrive in early 2019.
Disney and director Guy Ritchie have apparently had a few issues finding the right actor for the lead role in their planned live-action take on Aladdin. It’s taken them months, but they’ve now reached a decision.
Recently Will Smith turned down the opportunity to take a major role in Tim Burton’s live-action take on Dumbo. However, it turns out that might have been because he had a different Disney role in mind, as he’s in talks to voice the Genie in the studio’s planned live-action version of Aladdin, according to 
Disney is soon going to run out of classic animated movies to turn live action, as after the likes of Maleficent, Cinderella and The Jungle Book, we’ve got films such as Beauty & The Beast, Mulan and Aladdin coming. The latter now has a director, with Guy Ritchie stepping into the breach.