Aladdin star says sequel is "very unlikely" to happen

Mena Massoud and Will Smith in Aladdin — (Image credit: Disney)

Aladdin star Mena Massoud has given an update on the Disney movie's potential sequel – and it's not looking good.

"Very unlikely at this point," Massoud tweeted in a response to a fan asking if Aladdin 2 was still happening. This seems a little at odds with a recent quote from director Guy Ritchie, who told Collider that he'd "very much like to" make a sequel.

"I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that experience. It was a great experience," he said in the interview. "That whole Disney thing, as you can imagine, is such a professional outfit. Just from that perspective, it was so much fun. I would very much like to, we'll wait and see. We have been kicking some ideas around for some time now, but it'd be great to do, it would be great to go back there."

A sequel to 2019's Aladdin was initially announced back in 2020 by The Hollywood Reporter, which reported that Ritchie was returning to the director's chair, but there haven't been any further reports since. Alongside Massoud, who played the title character, the movie also starred Will Smith as the Genie and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine. Although it received mixed reviews from critics, Aladdin made over $1 billion at the box office, so a sequel seemed like it would be on the cards.

Disney's next live-action remake of an animated classic is The Little Mermaid, which arrives on the big screen on May 26. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other movie release dates in 2023 that should be on your radar.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.