10 Recently Announced Movies That Will Probably Never Happen

On paper, the odds of a live-action Aladdin sequel getting made actually seem pretty good - Disney hasn't ever touched a franchise they haven't been keen to milk to death, and given that the 2019 film grossed over $1 billion worldwide, they'd probably be silly not to.

A sequel was discussed by producers shortly after the film's release, and in February 2020 Aladdin 2 was formally announced, with stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott set to return, while John Gatins (Flight) and Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton) will write the script.

Producer Dan Lin added that the film will most likely incorporate elements from Aladdin sequels The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves rather than adapt either directly.

Word has been strangely quiet on the sequel for nearly two years since the announcement - admittedly in part due to the pandemic slowing production - until Aladdin actor Massoud recently explained that the script was still being worked on. He 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."

This really felt like a film where Disney had to strike while the iron was hot, or risk a sequel coming together long after the target audience cared anymore. Remember what happened to Alice Through the Looking Glass?

Even if Aladdin 2 began filming tomorrow it likely wouldn't release until at least summer 2023, and with the future of the big-budget blockbuster looking pretty uncertain outside of splashy superhero movies, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see Aladdin 2 pivoted into a Disney+ series instead.