A Live Action Aladdin Sequel Is Being Discussed, But It Won't Be A Straight Adaptation Of Return Of Jafar

The new, live-action version of Disney's Aladdin has been a major success for the studio, making over $1 billion at the global box office and currently sitting as the fifth highest grossing film internationally for the year. Now, it sounds like a sequel is in the planning stages.

Speaking to SYFY WIRE, producer Dan Lin says that the studio would "love to" make a sequel, saying that "we feel like these characters have more adventures in store."

Of course, the original animated version of Disney's Aladdin already has a sequel: The Return of Jafar, a straight-to-video affair set a year after the original. However, a live-action sequel would probably deviate heavily from the 69-minute, poorly-received original.

"Like with Aladdin, it will not be a straight remake of any movie that’s been made before," Lin says, "so we’re looking at ‘where’s the best way to go with these characters.’"

The live-action Aladdin stayed very close to the original animated film in some respects, and drifted from it in others: Iago the parrot doesn't talk in the new version, for instance. Return of Jafar is less well-known than the original 1992 blockbuster, and would require an overhaul to work as a sequel to the new Aladdin.

Lin also said that he believes director Guy Richie and star Will Smith would be likely to return: "even before the box office success, they said it was the best filmmaking experience of their lives."