Producer Dan Lin has opened up about the impending live-action “Aladdin” remake, sharing that it will feature brand new songs written by Pasek and Paul of “La La Land” mixed with the classic songs from the original.
However, there’s a good chance that you might not actually recognize the likes of “A Whole New World,” “Arabian Nights” and “Prince Ali” because Lin admitted that they’ve been given a “modern spin.”
“We are currently shooting it right now in London,” Lin shared when I quizzed him on “Aladdin.” “We’re currently shooting it on a set where we’ve built the world of Agrabah. Will Smith is the Genie, many of the songs that you know and love will be in the movie. Alan Menken is back and working up the songs, and Pasek and Paul from ‘La La Land’ are writing some songs. So we’re bringing back the classic songs with a modern spin, especially with Guy Ritchie’s approach. And then we are bringing in a few new songs as well, so I think fans will really like what we’re doing with it.”
“Aladdin’s” soundtrack includes some of the most popular songs to have ever featured in a Disney film. Not only has it sold over 2.4 million copies in the United States alone, but “A Whole New World” picked up the Academy Award for Best Original Original Song and it is still the only Disney song to have ever won the Grammy Award for Song Of The Year. Plus, it is also a deeply luscious and romantic song that even the coldest of cynics can’t help but be warmed by.
Obviously that’s big shoes for the “Aladdin” remake to fill. Thankfully, in Pasek and Paul, they have two of the most talented songwriters in the world at their disposal, as they have already won Golden Globe and Academy Awards for “La La Land” and a Tony Award for “Dear Evan Hansen.” We’ll see what they can muster up when “Aladdin” is released on May 24, 2019.
Update – Monday September 18th: Alan Menken’s manager Rick Kunis has clarified, “Pasek and Paul are collaborating with Alan Menken on the creation of new songs by contributing lyrics to Menken’s music. Menken remains the exclusive composer of all music for this work.”
