'Aladdin' Prequel, ‘Genies’ Being Developed By Disney; Movie To Explore The Realm of Wish-Granters, Genie in The Lamp’s Origin

By Staff Writer

Updated: Jul 16 2015, 09:08 AM EDT

Disney's slate of fairytale live-action flicks continue to grow with the all-new "Aladdin" prequel added on the list recently. The studio has reportedly started working on a live-action comedy adventure currently titled "Genies". The upcoming film will explore the realm of the wish-granters and the story of how Aladdin's magical and funny Genie became trapped inside the iconic lamp.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney has set Damian Shannon and Mark Swift to do the writing duties, with Tripp Vinson ("San Andreas", "Journey 2: the Mysterious Island") producing under his Vinson Films banner. "Genies" is designed to serve as an origin story for the titular character that was famously voiced by late Robin Williams ("Night at the Museum", "Bicentennial Man") in the 1992 Arabian tale. The original film, "Aladdin", have grossed over $500 million worldwide when it premiered back in November 1992.

The upcoming live-action prequel will be joining the growing roster of live-action Disney fairy tale films heading to the big screen. It was noted that the Mouse House has been digging its library of animated flicks for live-action inspiration, proven by the studio's recent reboots of the well-known 1950 movie "Cinderella," revamped "Sleeping Beauty" entitled "Maleficent," and the 1951 musical "Alice in Wonderland".

Following the three flicks are live-action adaptations of "Jungle Book", "Beauty and the Beast", and the recently announced "Prince Charming". According to Coming Soon, Disney is also going to develop aTim Burton-helmed "Dumbo" and new live-action versions of "Winnie the Pooh", "Mulan", and "Pinocchio". Live-action sequels are also slated to be released, including "Alice Through the Looking Glass", "Maleficent 2", and a "Peter Pan" spinoff entitled "Tink".

Meanwhile, the new "Aladdin" film is still in the early stages of development. What's only known for now is that it will explore the magical world of the wish-granters, as well as the story of how the original film's blue-skinned Genie ended up stuck in Aladdin's lamp.