The Aladdin Trailer Gives Us a First Look, But the Genie Stays in His Bottle
SOURCE: SLATE
BY: HAILEY GAVIN
Watch the trailer here
A trailer for the new, live-action Aladdin remake opens with a birds-eye (carpet’s eye?) view of shimmering sand dunes that rush by to reveal Agrabah, the fictional city from the original film. However, the most nostalgic part of this teaser is its soundtrack. After some familiar music that wavers between wondrous and sinister, a deep rumbling voice warns, “only one may enter here … the diamond in the rough.”
Despite this memorable dialogue, we get only hints of the original film’s characters in this trailer. A parrot, presumably Jafar’s companion Lago, leads us to some silhouetted figures who stand at the mouth of the Cave of Wonders. But in a final flash, Aladdin, played by Mena Massoud, is revealed. Massoud, who appeared in the Jack Ryan series, was chosen for the role after a long search process. This came after Disney received criticism for its portrayal of Arab culture in the 1993 animated version, which was voiced almost entirely by white actors.
John August, known for his Big Fish screenplay, wrote the new Aladdin script. Jasmine will be played by Naomi Scott and Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) will play Jafar. The live-action remake will be out in theaters on March 24, 2019.
While Disney has released this information, many figures remain in the shadows in the teaser, including Will Smith who is set to take on Robin William’s legendary Genie role. Smith acknowledged Disney’s decision to make audiences wait for the Genie’s reveal with a joking Instagram post on Thursday declaring, “LEMME OUT!! Can’t wait for y’all to see Me BLUE!” in reference to the trailer’s final image: the lamp.