Shazam! 2 Will Likely Follow This Cool Comic Storyline

Shazam! 2 Will Likely Follow This Cool Comic Storyline

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead!

With all the money it’s made at the box office so far and the amount of positive reception it’s earned, it’s safe to say that Shazam! is another hit for Warner Bros and DC. It’s likelier than not that a sequel will move forward, and producer Peter Safran acknowledged that Shazam! 2 will have to come together quickly since the young cast members are quickly growing up.

Fortunately, like many superhero movie’s before it, Shazam! used its mid/post-credits scene to foreshadow set up what’s to come. Assuming a misdirect isn’t in the cards, it looks like this upcoming story will be based on the currently-running Shazam comic book by writer Geoff Johns and artist Dale Eaglesham, which hasn’t even wrapped up its first story arc yet!

For those who need a refresher on Shazam!’s mid-credits scene, Mark Strong’s Thaddeus Sivana was seen obsessively scratching ancient runes on the walls of his prison cell, desperately trying to get back to the Rock of Eternity so he can reclaim his last power. Suddenly, a nearby voice tells him that there are other ways to obtain powers, and by the forming alliance, Sivana and these two can conquer the “seven realms.”

We soon see that this voice doesn’t come from a giant, foreboding figure, but from a tiny, yet still unnerving, super intelligent caterpillar named Mister Mind. He was first seen in Shazam! trapped in a glass case when the adolescent Sivana was brought to the Rock of Eternity, but had managed to escape confinement by the time Billy Batson showed up at the wizard Shazam’s lair.

Although the Shazam! movie drew from all across Shazam’s comic book history, it was primarily based off the New 52 origin story written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. That story also ended with Mister Mind proposing an alliance to Dr. Sivana, although in this instance, the two of them met when Dr. Sivana tried to break back into the Rock of Eternity following Black Adam’s defeat, with Mister Mind trapped inside of a glass case. In this case, though, Dr. Sivana was desperate for magical power to “save his family,” hence why he’d entertain working with a sinister caterpillar.

Five years after Shazam’s New 52 origin story concluded, DC finally debuted an ongoing Shazam comic book series starring these new incarnations of the Shazam family. At the time of this writing, only four issues have been released, with issue #5 coming out on May 8.

However, Shazam!’s tease of Sivana and Mister Mind working together, Mind’s “seven realms” comment and some weirdness Billy Batson and his adoptive siblings deal with in the Rock of Eternity indicates that Shazam! 2 will be based off the tale that Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham are currently delivering on the printed page.

In the current Shazam comic book, Billy and his siblings discover a passage way in the Rock of Eternity that leads to a old fashioned-looking train station providing transportation to other corners of the Magiclands, which is comprised of seven magical realms: the Earthlands (a.k.a. our reality), the Funlands, the Gamelands, the Wildlands, the Monsterlands, the Woznerlands and the Darklands. Thus far, the latter three realms haven’t been shown yet, but the others are all kinds of weird.

There wasn’t a train station to be seen in Shazam!’s version of the Rock of Eternity, but it does have its own gateways to other worlds. While Billy and the kids were trying to escape Sivana, they came across a cavern filled with countless doors. One of them led to a room where three crocodile-men (modeled off the kinds of creatures that Shazam/Captain Marvel has battled numerous times in the comics) were playing cards, another door containing a tentacle creature resembling the Demogoron from Stranger Things, and a third door that just tried to suck in everyone.

Aside from visits to the Rock of Eternity, Shazam! only took place on Earth, but these doorways and Mister Mind aspiring for multi-dimensional domination foreshadow that Shazam! 2 will likely have the Shazam family visiting other magical realms. Whether or not these realms will directly resemble the Magiclands from the comics remains to be seen, although the presence of these crocodile men and the prospect of bringing the anthropomorphic tiger Tawky Tawny, a longtime member of the Shazam mythos (who was subtly referenced in Shazam! via a stuffed tiger toy), suggest that the Wildlands could at least appear.

Oh, and it’s also worth mentioning that Dr. Sivana and Mister Mind are involved in the current Shazam comic book. Thus far the full extent of their machinations hasn’t been revealed yet, but they’re definitely up to no good, as Mind instructed Sivana to kill a doctor because the “tongue of a medicine man” is required for a spell they’re casting.

We also learned how Mind is believed to have originated from the Wildlands and nearly destroyed the Council of Eternity. Perhaps this backstory will be retained for Shazam! 2, especially given that Mind was imprisoned at the Rock of Eternity for an untold period of time.

Assuming that Shazam! 2 is based off of Geoff Johns’ current Shazam arc, it would be just another way the writer’s work has influenced the DCEU. Justice League was based off of the opening issues of his New 52 Justice League run, and Aquaman drew from his acclaimed New 52 Aquaman run, as well as incorporated elements of his scrapped "Rise of the Seven Seas" event. Johns had previously helped guide the DCEU as DC Entertainment president, but he stepped down from that role and Chief Creative Officer last year to focus on comic book writing and producing more projects.

Shazam! hasn’t even been theaters for a week, so it may be a while before we hear any specific information about what’s in store for Shazam! 2. Still, much like how Aquaman set the stage for a Black Manta/Stephen Shin team-up in Aquaman 2, Shazam! showed audiences that Mister Mind is work with Dr. Sivana, and it’s a good bet that whatever they have planned will require the Shazam gang to venture out into the magical beyond.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on Shazam! 2, which will be written by the man who penned the first movie, Henry Gayden. But for now, you can pick up the Shazam comic book series digitally or at your local comic book store to get a sense of what might be depicted on the big screen, and don’t forget to look through our handy guide to learn what else the DCEU has coming up.

Bond 25 Just Dropped A Ton Of New Details But Left One Important Fact Out

Bond 25 Just Dropped A Ton Of New Details But Left One Important Fact Out

After every current James Bond movie drops, there’s almost always talk about the next film. In those talks, the traditional nickname is basically something along the lines of Bond 25, which is the most recent sequel we’ve been looking forward to since 2015’s Spectre. Typically, this all leads up to the official reveal of the film’s name at a big press conference event. But while we got a nice live streaming reveal of the film’s cast this morning, we unfortunately don’t have that title yet! Still, let's go through the brand new details we do have.

While I thought we’d have an official title by this morning, we did get some substantial information, including a first look at the plot, in addition to those cast members, old and new, that were revealed this morning. And there are still some pretty big reveals to be had, even in the shadow of the missing title.

Announced at Ian Fleming’s Goldeneye villa in Jamaica, producer Barbara Broccoli sadly confirmed that there was no name for Bond 25 as of yet, though she did provide the following detail of how the film will open. That detail was also reflected in the official synopsis for the film, which is as follows:

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

So 007 is finally relaxing and taking life less seriously, presumably with Madeline Swann, the woman he fell head-over-heels for in Spectre. And not only has evil reared its head, it's a dire enough situation that only Felix Leiter is the best hope of bringing Bond back. Though if that sizzle reel of Craig’s tenure is any indication, extra motivation may be at hand as he just might be losing Madeline, completing the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service path that his last adventure started him out on. Cue the Bond theme, and our favorite super spy getting back into the game, for a hard-driven battle of revenge.

For Bond 25, that mysterious villain will take the form of Academy Award winner Rami Malek, who is finally confirmed as playing the still unnamed baddie. Malek was unable to attend this event, but provided a pre-recorded message in which he said the following:

[I'm not] jealous one bit that you're all in the absolutely stunning setting of Ian Fleming's iconic Caribbean home, Goldeneye, on the island of Jamaica. No, not at all. I'm stuck here in New York in production, but I'm very much looking forward to joining the whole cast and crew so very soon. I promise you all I will be making sure Mr. Bond does not have an easy ride of it, in this his 25th outing. I can't wait to see you all soon. Cheers.

In addition to Malek, the Bond 25 cast is also adding franchise newcomers Dali Benssalah, Ana De Armas, Lashana Lynch, David Dencik, and Billy Magnussen were all revealed as part of the roster that this new film is bringing into the field. Though there was also some surprising news dropped into the returning cast portion of the announcement.

While cast members Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Rory Kinnear, and Ben Whishaw are all confirmed as Bond 25 players, a face we haven’t seen in some time has been brought back to the fold. The return of Jeffrey Wright’s Felix Leiter sees James Bond’s “brother from Langley” returning for the first time since 2009’s Quantum of Solace. This was previously speculated as a possibility, fueled by Wright himself, and it’s good to finally have confirmation that Felix Leiter will return for Bond 25.

All of these announcements were in service of the start of Bond 25’s principal production phase, which means that shooting is now underway in Jamaica, as we speak. Which is probably why, at the end of the livestream shared with the world this morning, we were treated to photos of a set that was constructed in the area.

If we were to venture a guess, the structure shown in the photo below is probably be the corner of the world that James and Madeline will call home at the beginning of Bond 25. But you can judge for yourself, as you take a look at that snapshot below:

It’s certainly been interesting to follow the path of Bond 25, as it originally started life as a project for director Danny Boyle, with a script from John Hodge in the works. Though eventually, Boyle dropped from the picture entirely over creative differences, leaving Joji Fukunaga to step into the director’s chair.

Because of said setbacks, as well as a couple rounds of rewrites ordered on Bond 25, production was delayed, pushing it out of the original November 8, 2019 slot it was supposed to debut in. With February 14, 2020 being the first replacement date, the final April 8, 2020 release date was settled upon, and now that production has started, we’re confident that’ll stick.

Which leads us to that big question: when in the world are we going to have a name for Bond 25? Usually, the big reveal press conference that the Bond franchise has famously been known for would give the public their first taste of what the film would be about, complete with a convenient name that doesn’t depend on a number.

But here we are, with the next Bond film in production and no title given. More than likely, that pesky script work has left the team without a convenient name for Bond 25. Whatever it is, I'd guess it will probably follow the same formula of a single word that keys everyone into the plot, while also being edgy.

Come to think of it, the recently dismissed title Shatterhand would be a nice fit, as it follows that criteria, and would make a great trilogy of S-sounding titles after Skyfall and Spectre. Also, with some parties convinced that this morning’s announcement should have included the rumored return of Christoph Waltz’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld, that title would be apt as it was one of his aliases during the Ian Fleming run of novels.

While that particular thought isn’t confirmed in any way, shape, or form, it feels like something that’d be a pretty amazing finale. One last showdown with a formidable foe would be a hell of an end for Daniel Craig to go out on, leaving a new actor able to step in fresh and clean.

You can watch the entire Bond 25 live streaming event below, to see the lovely splendor of Jamaica for yourself; as well as some of the stunning clip reel work the team for this event has put together.

Wherever the future of Bond 25 takes us from this point forward, it’s sure to be a mix of the respectable past and a bold way forward. We’ll have to wait a little longer to know what to call this film, but with the information we’ve gotten this morning, there’s enough of a tease to keep us waiting patiently.

Bond 25 will be released in theaters on April 8, 2020; outside of its usual November timeframe.

Vin Diesel’s xXx Lawsuit Has Been Revived

Vin Diesel’s xXx Lawsuit Has Been Revived

After a long hiatus, Vin Diesel brought back the xXx film franchise in 2017 with xXx: Return of Xander Cage. While it had been over a decade since Diesel had played the role, the movie did reasonably well at the box office, at least internationally. However, the production wasn't without its hurdles, including a lawsuit filed by a one of the producers of the original xXx, and while the suit appeared to be gone by May of 2017, an appeals court just brought it back to life.

The suit was filed by George Zakk in May of 2016 against both Vin Diesel specifically as well as Revolution Studios, who previously owned the rights to the xXx franchise. Zakk claimed that as a producer of the original xXx film he was entitled to both credit as well as a share of the profits in any sequels that would come after.

In May of 2017, a judge dismissed Zakk's lawsuit, on the grounds that Zakk apparently did not have any of these agreements in writing, which the statute of frauds would require since so much time would elapse between any oral agreement and the execution of said agreement. The judge also found that Zakk first claimed only a single oral agreement, before amending the complaint to include others, which was being referred to as a "sham pleading."

George Zakk appealed that judge's ruling and, according to THR, this week a California Appeals court sided with Zakk. The appeals court found that while Zakk's three different complaints, amended at various times, were unclear, they agreed that there were actually multiple oral agreements that had been put in place over time. In addition, the statute of frauds did not apply because Zakk alleges that he performed all duties he was required to perform under the agreement.

Other aspects of George Zakk's original lawsuit remain closed following this new ruling, but this decision is enough to bring all the parties back to court to deal with the resurrected issues. Considering that Vin Diesel was taking meetings about a fourth xXx movie has recently as a couple months ago, plans to continue the franchise are obviously still moving forward. It's too early to tell if this lawsuit could put the new movie on hold while issues are resolved.

Zakk's original lawsuit claimed that he was owned upwards of $250,000 for the xXx sequel, but one assumes Zakk will also want to see a share of the upcoming movie as well if the project moves forward.

Considering that it took almost two years for the court to rule on this appeal, this suit certainly isn't on the fast track. A fourth xXx movie could be out in theaters before we get another ruling. The only winner in that situation might be Revolution Studios. They sold the rights to the xXx franchise to The H Collective, Vin Diesel, and Diesel's production label One Race Films after the third film, so they won't be on the hook for any future films.

Hellboy Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

Hellboy Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

In 2004, Hellboy finally made his big screen debut, with Ron Perlman inhabiting the eponymous role and Guillermo del Toro writing and directing the movie. Both that and its 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, received mostly positive reviews, but they weren’t huge commercial hits, and despite fans hoping for years that Hellboy III would eventually get made, it never did.

Instead, Lionsgate decided to give Hellboy the reboot treatment, but if you were hoping that this latest theatrical adventure starring Big Red comes anywhere close to being as good as its predecessors, if not better, it sounds like you’ll be disappointed. Hellboy reviews are pouring in online, and not only do many of them paint the reboot as the Dark Horse Comics character’s worse theatrical outing yet, but also as a subpar comic book movie in general.

CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg was disappointed with how Hellboy turned out, giving it 2 out of 5 stars in his review. He noted that while there are parts of the movie are handled reasonably, like certain story elements and and the look of this Hellboy, overall it’s a “messy piece of work that doesn’t seem quite sure what it wants to be or who it’s for” which especially suffers from bad one-liners and “clever” bits.

Hellboy is definitely a disappointment. As has been proven in the past, this is a character with a lot of big screen potential storywise, but the earlier movies suffered because they couldn’t find an audience, and this one suffers because it feels like it tried to throw everything at the wall in hopes of circumventing that same issue. It’s not a disaster, but with talent like Neil Marshall and David Harbour involved one expected better.

Over at Slashfilm, Josh Spiegel went many steps further in the negative direction and called Hellboy one of the worst comic book movies ever made, awarding it only a 1/10 score. Among the many adjectives Spiegel used to describe Hellboy include unpleasant, dreadful, obnoxious, unnecessary and interminable. In his opinion, both Hellboy’s humor and action fail to hit properly, and David Harbour fails to shine as the heroic demon.

Rebooting the character more than a decade after Guillermo del Toro’s series came to an end is fine. Del Toro’s Hellboy films are charming and feature tactile-seeming creatures, but they weren’t perfect. That’s still a vast improvement over this new film, which feels like a mistake from the start and gets worse from there.

Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson was kinder towards Hellboy, giving it a 3 out of 5 score. He acknowledged that since he was already a fan of the Hellboy comics, he was satisfied with much of what he saw, but people unfamiliar with this mythos might not feel the same way. That said, the movie’s faithfulness to the source material ends up being a burden with regard to looking like a unique/special product.

If you have longed for the Hellboy of the page to hit the screen, this movie will scratch some itches. You want a fun, bloody monster movie? You'll probably have a decent time. If you're expecting a big superhero blockbuster that hits every Joseph Campbell beat, this might not be the devil you need.

Leigh Monson from Birth.Movies.Death. was among those “disappointed” by Hellboy, taking issue with its convoluted plot, unlikable characters, “haphazard” editing and more. The entire product is filled with “strange, dumb-as-rocks” creative choices that ultimately form with the “inherent weirdness” of the source material to create a kind of “bizarro charm.”

Hellboy is some very ill-advised cinema, and those who enjoy the prospect of cinematic trainwrecks are likely to get some joy out of this. Everyone else... well, you all know where to find the better version.

io9’s Charles Pulliam-Moore felt that Hellboy was a “textbook example” of the kind of movie where, when watching it, you can pick up on “echoes” of what it was intended to be earlier in the production process. In its final form, though, Hellboy plays as more of a ‘greatest hits’ from the Hellboy comics that uses its R-rating not for proper scares, but “excessive amounts of gratuitous bloodshed.”

Like two great tastes that somehow don’t go well together, Hellboy’s greatest sin is that it makes you long for the film that it might have been because there’s so much about the movie that works in a vacuum. David Harbour absolutely nails the charming, lunk-ish aspects of Hellboy’s personality, and a handful of the film’s action sequences are legitimately fun to watch before you get back to the slog of the rest of the film. Sadly, those few bright spots aren’t likely to convince anyone that this reboot deserves to be a jumping off point for a new series or doing the Hellboy franchise any favors.

Finally, John DeFore from The Hollywood Reporter acknowledged that while the broad strokes of Andrew Cosby’s Hellboy script fit pretty well with the universe Mike Mignola created, there are too many action sequences, its characters are uninteresting and the design of Hellboy himself is questionable.

… Neil Marshall's Hellboy isn't lousy because nobody wants it, nor only because it fails to live up to both its big-screen and printed predecessors. It's just lousy. Bloated, vastly less funny than it aims to be and misguided in key design choices even when it scores with less important decisions, the film does make bold choices that might have paid off under other circumstances. But these aren't those circumstances.

These are just some of the Hellboy reviews making the rounds, so feel free to browse around other corners of the internet to see what other people have to say. Still, it doesn’t look like this movie will go down as a critical darling, and if its performance at the box office reflects this mediocre response, one probably shouldn’t get their hopes up of the reboot launching a new film series. In any case, if you’re not interested in checking out Hellboy, you can still get your comic book movie fix this month by checking out Shazam! and/or waiting for Avengers: Endgame.

You can judge Hellboy for yourself starting this Friday, April 12. Those of you interested in learning what other movies are coming out later this year can look through our 2019 release schedule.

Judy Trailer: Renée Zellweger Is Unrecognizable As Judy Garland

Judy Trailer: Renée Zellweger Is Unrecognizable As Judy Garland

Bohemian Rhapsody dominated this past awards season, but get ready for two more contenders this year with Taron Egerton’s Elton John in Rocketman and now Renée Zellweger’s Judy Garland in upcoming biopic Judy. The Bridget Jones actress is taking on one of the most iconic legends in Hollywood this fall with an upcoming music biopic about the triple threat during her last tour as a singer. Check out the new trailer below:

Wow! Renée Zellweger’s transformation for Judy has an uncanny resemblance to the showbiz icon. In the trailer, the actress emulates Judy Garland’s facial expressions and mannerisms to a T, while also singing her most well-known song, The Wizard of Oz’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Yes, that’s Zellweger really singing, not Garland. Anyone else hear Oscar?

The trailer shows a series of flashbacks of Judy Garland’s early years, with newcomer Darci Shaw playing a more youthful Garland during her time on the set of her most memorable role as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz. The film will follow Garland in London for her five-week sold old run at The Talk of the Town in December 1968, before the accidental overdose that she died from six months later, at 47 years old.

The film from Roadside Attractions shows Judy Garland at a time when her voice has weakened, and she undergoes battles with her management and her drug addiction. It starts during her romance with her soon-to-be fifth husband Mickey Deans, whom she weds during the London show run. Deans, who was a musician, will be played by American Horror Story’s Finn Wittrock. He found her dead in the bathroom of their home in June 1969.

Judy will also star Michael Gambon as Garland’s manager Bernard Delfontm and Rufus Sewell as her third husband Sidney Luft, with whom she had two kids. One of Garland’s daughters, Liza Minnelli, has been vocal about her disapproval with the biopic, previously posting the words “I do not approve nor sanction the upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way” after rumors spread that she was meeting with Renée Zellweger to help her prep to play her mother.

Renée Zellweger nabbed the project helmed by True Story director Rupert Goold in October 2017. The screenplay for Judy was written by Lovesick creator Tom Edge, adapted from a stage play by Peter Quilter titled End of the Rainbow. A previous movie about Garland had Anne Hathaway attached.

The movie is an exciting role to see Renée Zellweger take on following her long break from moviemaking between 2010 and 2016. The actress made her comeback with a sequel to her famous rom-com role in Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016. This looks to be a memorable role for Zellweger as she takes on the actress famous for her Hollywood legacy and roles such as in 1954’s A Star Is Born. The film hits theaters on September 27.

Tim Miller Reveals Terminator In Dark Fate’s Cool New Ability

Tim Miller Reveals Terminator In Dark Fate’s Cool New Ability

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face is the one folks usually envision first when thinking about Terminators, as we’ve seen numerous times over the decades, that’s not the only visage these cybernetic assassins use. This year’s Terminator: Dark Fate will throw several new Terminators into action, including one played by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Gabriel Luna. What distinguishes this Terminator model from the others? Well, he has the ability to split himself in two!

During the Paramount presentation at CinemaCon today, Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller came out to plug his latest movie, which he worked on closely with the man who launched this sci-fi saga, James Cameron, who is serving as a producer on Dark Fate. One of the things he revealed is how Gabriel Luna’s Terminator can duplicate itself. This is a byproduct of Luna’s Terminator either being a T-1000 model or a more advanced model with those same liquid metal properties. The T-1000 model was previously played by Robert Patrick in Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Lee Byung-hun in Terminator Genisys.

There was also footage from Terminator: Dark Fate screened that showed Gabriel Luna’s Terminator in action. One shot began with him starting as a black puddle and then rising up to assume his human form. Later on, he was seen chasing after Natalia Reyes’ Dani Ramos and Mackenzie Davis’ Grace. Then another Terminator that was basically an all-black metal skeleton showed up, indicating that this could be the Luna duplicate, and that Dani and Grace are now being attacked on two fronts. Fortunately for them, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor arrives with guns blazing to help the other women out of their troublesome predicament.

The T-800 model may still be the most common Terminator model that Skynet churns out, but there’s no denying that the T-1000 is an even greater killing machine. Its shapeshifting abilities allow it to disguise itself as anybody or anything it sees, as well shrug off all physical injuries. Robert Patrick’s T-1000 was only finally defeated by being pushed into a vat of molten steel, while Lee Byung-hun’s iteration was neutralized when it was caught in a shower of hydrochloric acid. Presumably Gabriel Luna’s model shares these few weaknesses, but the fact that it can split itself in two means that even if the Terminator: Dark Fate protagonists manage to destroy one copy, they’ll have to put just as much effort, if not more, into taking out the other. Talk about upping the stakes!

No specific plot details for Terminator: Dark Fate have been revealed yet, although rather than follow the events of Terminator Genisys, this movie is a direct sequel to The Terminator and Terminator 2, and will ignoring the other sequels. Along with Linda Hamilton reprising Sarah Connor, Arnold Schwarzenegger will return once more to play an older T-800 model. Diego Boneta and Enrique Arce are also part of the main cast, and Jude Collie serves the body double for the young John Connor, with Edward Furlong’s facial likeness from Terminator 2 being digitally applied.

Terminator: Dark Fate hits theaters on November 1. Be sure to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

Disney's Aladdin: 10 Differences Between The Remake And The Original

Disney's Aladdin: 10 Differences Between The Remake And The Original

Disney’s Aladdin is a timeless, animated classic. Aladdin’s songs, cast, and characters, especially Robin Williams as the Genie, made it the highest grossing movie of 1992. So, it was no surprise when Disney announced plans to give one of their biggest animated hits the live action treatment.

It seems unnecessary to revamp what many regard as an untouchable lightning in a bottle moment in Disney’s history. While the new Aladdin follows the story rather faithfully, it is not a mirror image of the original.

It gives us a new Aladdin cast, featuring Mena Massoud in the title role, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine and, most notably, Will Smith as a whole new Genie. Alan Menken updates his Oscar-winning soundtrack, including a complete original song. Furthermore, the most intriguing and somewhat refreshing amendment: the directing style of crime thriller auteur Guy Ritchie.

So, if you are wondering how Disney is keeping the live action Aladdin, now playing in theaters, separate from its original hit, here is a list of the biggest difference between the two. Keep in mind, there will be spoilers.

No Fourth Wall-Breaking Street Pedder To Introduce Aladdin

Disney’s animated Aladdin opens with, essentially, an infomercial featuring a street peddler hoping to convince the audience to purchase a “special” lamp by revealing the story of its origin. This segues into the main story of the movie and the Peddler is never to be seen again.

The original intention was for the Peddler to be revealed as the Genie in disguise at the end of the film, as both are voiced by Robin Williams. That idea was scrapped last minute, but Guy Ritchie found a way to work a similar idea into his update.

In the Aladdin remake, it is a mariner who introduces the film as a story he is telling his children as they sail the seas. The Mariner is played by Will Smith, whom we already know is the Genie going in. There's no much room for a huge reveal, but it's a fun callback to some deep Aladdin trivia nonetheless.

Iago Is Far Less Of A Chatterbox

In one of Disney’s most fitting casting choices, comedian GIlbert Gottfried, known for his squawk-like pitch, provided the voice of Jafar’s parrot sidekick, Iago, in Aladdin. When he is not hiding his ability to speak on his own, Iago never cowers at the opportunity to serve up blunt commentary and utilize his skills in spot-on voice imitation.

In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is just as loyal to Jafar and, sometimes, just as blunt, but not nearly as talkative. His speech is rarely anything more than a repeat of the last line of dialogue. Other than his willful subservience to Jafar, Iago is not much more than your common parrot.

This updated Iago provides Aladdin with a new air of authenticity, and we have had our fair share of Gilbert Gottfried already with the Alfac commercials.

Princess Jasmine Has A Larger Role This Time

Voice by Linda Larkin in Aladdin, Jasmine is one of the more unique Disney princesses as she is one of the few born into royalty, but longs for a life outside the palace. While she does eventually find happiness, it is only from Aladdin’s help, so it is hard to say she makes the cut beyond the “damsel in distress” kind. In Disney’s live-action remake, that is no longer the case.

Naomi Scott’s portrayal in Aladdin sees Princess Jasmine in a stronger, more pivotal role to the story. She is not defined by her romance with Aladdin, nor is her dissatisfaction with royalty out of mere boredom. She is a progressively minded person who longs to steer her country in the right direction and vies to be Agrabah’s first female Sultan, a feat she eventually achieves - not Aladdin.

Jasmine even sings her own song, with themes of self-empowerment. Speaking of which...

Alan Menken’s Aladdin Song Catalog Has Been Updated

Disney’s Aladdin won two Academy Awards in 1993 for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“A Whole New World”). Needless to say, the music by Alan Menken is key to the animated movie’s iconography. However, Disney decided it would be best to leave those songs untouched and provide a whole new set of original songs for Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin... Just kidding.

Of course the new creative team brought all the original songs back, but with a few new twists. Will Smith’s rendition of “Arabian Nights” amends the original song’s controversial lyrics. The end credits feature new, additional versions of “Friend Like Me,” by Smith and DJ Khaled, and “A Whole New World,” this time a duet by Zayn Malik and Zavia Ward.

The most pivotal update is the addition of the song specially written for Princess Jasmine called “Speechless,” which Naomi Scott sings at two crucial moments of the film. The most intriguing update is Will Smith’s approach to performing Genie’s magnum opus.

Will Smith Is A Rapping Genie

“A Whole New World” may have won the Oscar, but the most fun of Alan Menken’s Aladdin songs are those performed by Robin Williams as Genie. The all-powerful one’s musical talents are as amusing as his magical skills with “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali.” In Guy’s Ritchie’s update of Aladdin, Prince Ali meets the Fresh Prince.

Will Smith’s performance as Genie sees him showing off his musical roots, adding a hip-hop flair to his energetic rendition of “Friend Like Me,” complete with frenetic choreography and even some beatboxing.

You ain’t never seen or heard a “Friend Like Me” like this.

Jasmine Is Not The Only Female Character With Speaking Parts

You know who else never had a friend like Genie in Aladdin? Princess Jasmine. In fact, other than Jasmine’s tiger, Rajah, she does not have any friends at all. Say, did you ever notice that Jasmine is the only woman in the animated original with meaningful dialogue? In the Aladdin remake, neither of those are the case.

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Nasim Pedrad stars as Dalia, Jasmine’s handmaiden and friend, whom she discusses more than just magic carpet rides with. For most of the film, Dalia is Jasmine’s sole source of encouragement.

The character, one of the funniest in the new Aladdin cast, and she also has one of the most surprising additions to the story as she turns out to be a love interest for Will Smith’s Genie, and the mother of his children, whom we meet in the film’s introduction. I bet she ain’t never had a boyfriend like him.

Jafar Lures Aladdin Into The Cave Of Wonders More Conspicuously

In Disney’s Aladdin, Jafar’s hunger for power leads him in the direction of the Cave of Wonders, a sentient temple of great fortune and mysticism. In order to retrieve the magic lamp inside, he must enlist the one “diamond in the rough” whom the cave will allow, which happens to be Aladdin. So, Jafar captures Aladdin, poses as an old prisoner, breaks him out of custody and tricks him into retrieving the lamp for a promised reward.

In Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake, Jafar does not bother with the disguise. He captures Aladdin and presents himself to him, dark red robes and all, with a proposal for riches that would attract the affection of a princess. Once he agrees, it pretty much goes exactly as the animated original does.

This was most likely the right direction to go with adapting Aladdin’s reasoning for entering the Cave of Wonders, given that Jafar’s old man disguise would not have made for much of a reveal given what we already know from the animated classic.

Aladdin And Abu Earn The Magic Carpet’s Loyalty

Aladdin has a few trusted allies to count on for his adventures in the original animated film. Of course, there is the Genie and Abu, but the one I believe deserves more credit is the Magic Carpet.

If not for the Magic Carpet, Aladdin and Abu would have never found the magic lamp and Aladdin and Jasmine’s first date would not have been nearly as memorable. Yet, there is little explanation in the original Aladdin as to why Carpet is so loyal to our hero so quickly. Just a feeling?

In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, after Aladdin and Abu first enter the Cave of Wonders, they notice a carpet stuck between two large boulders. But this is no ordinary carpet. This carpet is moving on its own. They work together to lift the rock up just enough to free the Carpet, and a beautiful friendship is born.

Jafar Has No Intention Of Marrying Jasmine To Usurp The Kingdom

Jafar is such a ruthless, uncompromising, unrelenting wannabe tyrant that he will stop at nothing to take control of the kingdom of Agrabah in the original Disney’s Aladdin.

When his initial plan to get ahold of the magic lamp fails, he tries hypnotizing the Sultan into allowing him to marry Princess Jasmine, which Aladdin prevents by smashing his magic scepter and breaking the spell. Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar still uses that snake-headed scepter to control the Sultan, but not for less aggressively creepy reasons.

In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, not only does Jafar want to be the Sultan, his wishes for power are beyond merely fame and fortune. He is a war monger, persistently forcing the idea of invading a country that the Sultan just wishes to remain at peace with.

As for his own plan for tyranny, marrying the princess is never brought up. It is as if he recognizes, and even respects, the possibility that Princess Jasmine could be the next sultan and his goal is just to beat her to the throne first. Also, thankfully, when Jafar finally gets a hold of the magic lamp and asks Genie to make him the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he does not keep Jasmine chained up as his personal love slave. You gotta hand it to 2019 Jafar. He may be ruthless and unrelenting, but he's far less of a creep than his animated counterpart.

Director Guy Ritchie Makes Aladdin A Guy Ritchie Movie

You may have noticed that I have been referring to Disney’s live action remake of Aladdin as Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin a lot throughout this article. That is because this Aladdin is very much “Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin.”

The British filmmaker known best for cooky crime thrillers like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch may have seemed like an unlikely choice to direct a musical fantasy set in an Arabian city. But Ritchie makes his update of the animated film feel right in place with his the rest of his repertoire.

For one, the retrieval of the magic lamp easily puts Aladdin in the heist movie category, like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. One of the first major song and dance sequences is a foot race through the city and there are slow motion sequences all throughout the film, both common Ritchie staples. Ritchie also has been known to cast musicians in many of his films (Will Smith). Aladdin has always been a tale loved by all ages, but in the hands of Guy Ritchie, it becomes a special treat for lovers of British crime thrillers as well.

Aladdin is now playing in theaters, and keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news on Disney's upcoming live action remakes/adaptations.