Aladdinfinally dropped its first full-length trailer today after a handful of teasers that left fans perplexed and agitated. Will Smith’s blue Genie was cause for concern, but now that the whimsical imp has been let out of the lamp on a wider scale, it appears that the complainers are starting to warm up to Robin Williams' replacement. On the heels of this sigh of relief, it has been announced that Iago has a new voice.
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried voiced Iago the wise-cracking parrot sidekick to villain Jafar in the original 1992 animated adventure. He won’t be back, though, asAlan Tudyksteps in to fill the role, which is coming a little late in the game.
Aladdinhits theaters on May 24, which is a little under three months away. So director Guy Ritchie must be in the final stages of post-production. Most likely, Iago has been recorded and edited using a scratch track, which Alan Tudyk will step in and re-record. TheFireflyactor played a similar role in Disney’sRogue One, voicing the Imperial droid turned good guyK-2SO.
Iagowas seen in the new trailer that launched earlier today, but fans didn’t get to hear him speak. Many believed that the character might not be as chatty as he is in the cartoon version. There has been a cloud of mystery around the casting for months. And it’s not clear if Gilbert Gottfried was approached to reprise the character at some point or not. Gottfried did return to voice Iago in two direct-to-VHS sequels.
In portraying K-2SO for Lucasfilm, Alan Tudyk performed motion capture and was on set. Here, he’ll be coming in and doing the voice work solo. This will be his thirdDisneyanimated movie after playing the voice of King Candy inWreck-It Ralphand Heihei inMoana. Mena Massoud is playing the title character inAladdin, with Naomi Scott playing Jasmine.
The latest trailer teases some of the songs we’ll be hearing in this live-action remake. We get to hear a new version of ‘A Whole New World’ and see some of the Genie’s dance moves as Will Smith sings ‘Friend Like Me’.Aladdinis just one of three live-action remakes coming from Disney this year. Also on the docket isDumbo, which arrives first, hitting the big screen in just two weeks on March 28. ThenThe Lion Kingwill roar into theaters on July 19. Disney also has a lot more planned for 2020 and beyond, withMulanset to go into production soon.The Little Mermaidwill get a big screen redo. And Disney is setting up theLady and the Tramplive-action remake for their impending streaming service Disney+.Snow WhiteandPinocchioare also being planned. This casting news comes fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
