Mena Massoud gives an update about the in-development Aladdin 2. In 2019, Disney turned 1992's animated classic Aladdin into a live-action extravaganza directed by Guy Ritchie. It featured a breakout turn from Massoud as the titular street urchin-turned-prince, as well as the talents of Naomi Scott and Will Smith as Princess Jasmine and the Genie, respectively. Aladdin was a smash hit, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Because of that, it wasn't too surprising when rumblings of a sequel emerged not long after the film was released in late May.
Despite that, it took nearly a year for the project to move forward. In February 2020, Disney hired writers John Gatins and Andrea Berloff to pen the script for Aladdin 2. The animated original received two sequels back in the 90s, but the new film will explore an original idea pitched by the duo. Ritchie was said to be back on board as director. While the hope is that Massoud, Scott, and Smith will all return, Disney was reportedly waiting for the script to be complete before reaching out to them for new deals. Since then, there have been few updates.
Screen Rant recently received the opportunity to sit down with Massoud to discuss his new movie Lamya's Poem, which will soon premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival. During the conversation, the subject of Aladdin 2 came up, and Massoud was able to offer an update. According to the actor, the sequel is still very much in the works, though it remains in the early stages. Massoud said:
They're working on it. They're trying to make it happen. That's really all I know. As you know, usually actors are the last piece of the puzzle, so the studio has got a lot to worry about before they start thinking about the actors. Obviously, I would hope that all of us come back and Naomi, Will and I all come back and the rest of the cast, Marwan, Navid, Nasim, everybody. But right now, as far as I know, they're just working on the script and trying to make it happen.
Additionally, Massoud discussed how he's trying to remain in a positive mindset as he comes out of the pandemic and looks toward the future:
I spent a lot of time after Aladdin... I think I just got into a very negative place, a negative mindset. And then obviously, COVID didn't help that because that happened, you know, five, six months after Aladdin came out. I think I just did a lot of reflecting after that and trying to get back to a positive place, kinda trying to get back to that bright-eyed, positive place that I was at when I first moved to LA back in 2017. I'm just trying to learn from everything in my twenties, a lot of ups and downs in my twenties. I started my twenties working at a restaurant for three years and going to theater school, hustling and then landing Aladdin, which was huge, and that was a massive spike up for me. And then [a] comedown with COVID and everything. So just learning that life is ups and downs and really, what I had trouble, believing before. But now I really do believe is that you being positive or negative is simply a mindset. It has nothing to do with what's going on around you. It has nothing to do with other people's validation. It's literally a mindset. And if you can find a way to get into that positive mindset and stay there, good things will happen because you'll believe that they'll happen and you'll believe that you already are in a positive place. So, just trying to learn everything, just trying to learn from my twenties and hit this new chapter running.
It sounds like Aladdin 2 is in the same place it was in February 2020, with a script in the works but no cast members officially signed on. There's a good chance the pandemic slowed down progress, or perhaps Gatins and Berloff are adjusting the story. Nevertheless, if Aladdin 2 ever makes it out of the script stage, it seems all but certain that Massoud will return. It would be unthinkable to have a sequel without Aladdin himself, and he's already looking forward to the prospect. Scott and Smith will surely be back as well, and Jafar actor Marwan Kenzari expressed interest in returning as well.
The development of Aladdin 2 comes as a spin-off movie is also in the works. Announced in late 2019, Billy Magnussen's bumbling Prince Anders is on the way to receiving his very own project. Like Aladdin 2, there have been few updates regarding the spin-off since its initial creation. Nevertheless, it's clear Disney is still interested in expanding the world it created with the live-action Aladdin, so don't expect it to be a one-and-done adventure just yet.