The 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' actor has been cast as Prince Anders, an original character not seen in the 1992 animated film.
- Sep 6, 2017
AceShowbiz - It looks like Prince Ali will have some tough competition in Disney's upcoming live-action "Aladdin". According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has tapped "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" actor Billy Magnussen to play Prince Anders. Other details on the new character are still kept under wraps.
It's a new role created for the movie musical, as the character was not seen in the 1992 original animated pic. 32-year-old Magnussen is joining relative newcomer Mena Massoud and "Power Rangers" actress Naomi Scott who have been tapped to play Aladdin/Prince Ali and Princess Jasmine respectively.
The upcoming live-action film has "The Mummy" actor Marwan Kenzari portraying the villain Jafar while "Suicide Squad" star Will Smith is on board to play Genie. Additionally, "Saturday Night Live" alum Nasim Pedrad has joined the cast to play another original character named Mara, who is a handmaiden and friend to Jasmine.
"Aladdin" will be directed by Guy Ritchie from a script he co-writes with John August ("Corpse Bride", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") and Vanessa Taylor, who is known for writing three episodes of HBO's "Game of Thrones" in season 2 and 3. Dan Lin, who worked with Ritchie on "Sherlock Holmes", is producing through his Lin Pictures banner.
It's not the first time Magnussen has been tapped to play a Disney prince. The Tony nominee appeared in Rob Marshall's "Into the Woods" as Rapunzel's prince, performing the duet "Agony" with Chris Pine. The actor was last seen in indie "Ingrid Goes West" opposite Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, and appeared in Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies" and Adam McKay's "The Big Short".
Magnussen will next be seen opposite Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in New Line's comedy "Game Night", which is due out March 2, 2018 in the U.S. His TV sredits inlcude Netflix's "Black Mirror", Epix's "Get Shorty" and FX's "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story".
