#ReelNews Aladdin, Jennifer Lawrence, Idris Elba & More

This week’s #ReelNews sees Aladdin, Jennifer Lawrence, Idris Elba, Star Trek and more.

With Maleficent, Cinderella and soon to be Beauty In The Beast all getting the Disney live-action treatment it seems only logical they would continue to raid their locker for more and next up is Aladdin.  Or more specifically a prequel to Aladdin which would tell the story of how the Genie came to be in that teeny, tiny living space of the lamp.  The plan is that if the film, which will be called Genies, is a success it will act a prelude to the live-action version of Aladdin.  The Disney incarnation of Aladdin was released back in 1992 and still delights kids today, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Robin Williams’ Genie.  Damien Shannon and Mark Swift are currently working on a first draft of the script which will look into all manner of magic realms before, presumably, ending on a downer as our hero is enslaved in a bottle.  Source – The Hollywood Reporter 

With her time as The Mockingjay in The Hunger Games movies comes to an end so Jennifer Lawrence is spreading her wings to other projects.  One that she is considering is The Rosie Project.  Written by Graham Simison it tells the story of professor Don Tillman a man on the Asperger’s scale who is so desperate for love he starts The Wife Project which sets out a set of criteria to help him find the perfect partner.  But when he meets Rosie, the part that Lawrence would play, he falls for her, in spite of her not meeting any of his criteria, and believes she could be his soul mate.  The book has been a huge hit in the UK and Australia where it is set with (500) Days Of Summer writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber having written the latest draft of the script.  At one point Phil Lord & Chris Miller were set to direct but they’ve since moved on to the Han Solo movie so the feelers are out for a new director.  Before all that Lawrence will be seen in David O. Russell’s Joy before bidding farewell in her final mutant form for X-Men: Apocalypse.  Source – The Hollywood Reporter

It’s been rumoured for a while, mainly thanks to writer and star Simon Pegg talking about him a lot, that Idris Elba would be appearing in Star Trek Beyond.  Well, thanks to a new initiative all in the name of charity, that rumour is all but confirmed.  It comes as the cast of Star Trek Beyond gather on The Enterprise to tell us about how for a small price you can donate to charity through charity donation company Omaze and in return have the chance to win a walk on part in the new film.  If that’s not enough the video below should help really light your warp drive on fire.  There’s no word on who Elba will play but he’s an interesting addition to the crew and an actor not averse to a bit of sci-fi thanks to Thor and Prometheus.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering we’re pretty sure Thundernuts is not Captain Kirk’s new nickname.  Source – Omaze

He’s in cinemas this weekend with True Story but James Franco isn’t resting on his laurels as news comes that he’s in talks to adapt another book in the form of Alex Marwood’s The Killer Next Door.  The story tells of six neighbours forced into an uneasy alliance knowing that one of them is a murderer who will stop at nothing to protect themselves.  Franco has been on a splurge of adapting novels recently with likes ofJohn Steinbeck and William Faulkner getting the Franco treatment and most recentlyWilliam Gay’s coming-of-age tale The Long Home.  It’s likely that Franco will end up directing and starring in this one too.  Source – Variety