'Aladdin 2' Officially Takes Flight With Guy Ritchie Returning To Direct

The live-action Aladdin is preparing for another round on the magic carpet. A sequel to the 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin is officially in the works at Disney, with the studio hiring Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton) and John Gatins (Flight) to map out the new plot for Aladdin 2. Guy Ritchie is returning to helm the sequel which, according to reports, will follow an entirely new story inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. Sorry, The Return of Jafar fans.

Aladdin 2 is getting the jump (ahead of the bread line), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney has hired John Gatins (Flight, Real Steel) and Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton, The Kitchen) to pen the sequel, which Aladdin director Guy Ritchie is set to helm. Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are all expectd to reprise their roles as Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, who last produced Two Popes, are returning to produce. Rideback's Ryan Halprin will executive produce.

But what could possibly happen in the sequel? Last year's Aladdin, which was a remake of the beloved 1992 animated film, ended with the genie giving up his powers and sailing off to freedom with his handmaiden lover (Nasim Pedrad), while Aladdin and Jasmine enjoyed their fairy tale (and newly feminist) ending.

According to THR, Aladdin 2 could take inspiration from any number of stories in One Thousand and One Nights, the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales that contains the likes of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad. So while that rules out the plot of The Return of Jafar, the direct-to-video animated sequel to the original 1992 Aladdin which saw a genie Jafar seek revenge, that does give us hope of an adaptation of the third Aladdin animated film: Aladdin and the King of Thieves. That 1996 direct-to-video animated film was a surprisingly strong sequel that partially adapted Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and, most importantly, introduced us to Aladdin's hot dad. Please, Disney, just give us Aladdin's Hot Dad and we'll maybe forgive you for bleeding this cash cow dry.