Disney taps Guy Ritchie to direct live-action Aladdin

The news follows the announcement The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau will take on a live-action The Lion King

Disney's Aladdin was always lacking in the punch-ups and banter department; at least, that must be what the studio was thinking when launching their live-action remake of the classic animation.

The next chosen target on the remake conveyor belt has landed none other than Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels' Guy Ritchie as director (via Deadline); with a screenplay penned by Big Fish's John August and The Lego Movie's Dan Line producing.

Sure, Ritchie is no stranger to blockbuster material, having been behind the Robert Downey Jr.-starring Sherlock Homes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; but if the trailer for his upcoming reimagining of the King Arthur legend is anything to go by, Ritchie's cinematic vision remains enduringly... unique. Street urchin Aladdin has always just been a lad about town, indulging in a bit of knockaboutery. Right?

Remaking Aladdin inevitably ushers in two potentially problematic areas, and Ritchie's hire certainly hasn't helped the first; it'll be crucial that Disney utilises this remake to bring an Arab hero to screen in a way Hollywood's been severely lacking in, but missing the opportunity to hire Arab talent behind the screen already seems like a faltering start.

Secondly, there's the matter of finding the right voice to bring a character as iconic as the Genie to screen; though guesses are the film will approach the character from a very different angle to avoid comparisons to Robin Williams' utterly inimitable take.

The news comes straight off the back of Disney announcing another of its long list of remakes, bringing in The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau to direct a live-action version of the entirely human-less The Lion King.