Credit: DisneyIt was announced today that actor Billy Magnussen will be joining Zach Galifianakis and newcomer Maia Kealoha in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2002). But are fans still mad about his potential Aladdin (2019) spinoff?
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Deadline revealed the news today that Magnussen has signed onto the project, although it has yet to be confirmed by Disney. Magnussen is known for his roles in No Time To Die (2021) and Game Night (2018). But Disney fans might recognize him from some of their other live-action films.
Magnussen has already played two prince characters for Disney, his first being Rapunzel’s Prince in Disney’s version of Into The Woods (2014). More notably, Magnussen charmed audiences with his brief appearance in the live-action Aladdin (2019). Prince Andres, inspired by Prince Achmed from the animated version, was a comical delight who gained a few laughs from the audience while he was on screen for about five minutes.
Shortly after the Will Smith remake, buzz began to surface of Magnussen getting his own Aladdin spinoff movie. Although his character had a minor significance in the film, it apparently rendered enough attention to grant a spinoff. It’s fair to say that Magnussen’s role was a stand-out one, delivering a stellar comedic performance as he always does. Unfortunately, fans were not too happy to hear that a white character (who was initially based on a non-white character) would be getting their own spinoff in the Aladdin universe.
While the concept of a Prince Andres spinoff sounds more like a rumor than something fans would actually want, the idea appeared to be very real as it was predicted to come to Disney+ in the foreseeable future. The last we heard about the project, Magnussen commented during an interview in May 2022, stating, “It’s in development. We are in the stages of rewrites right now, and it’s still moving forward.”
Magnussen’s comment appeared hopeful, but fans upset about the character getting his own film may not have to worry. A lot has changed for Disney in the past few months, as they have been canceling projects left and right. Although Disney hasn’t officially confirmed anything, with news surfacing about the Aladdin (2019) sequel no longer in development, it may be safe to assume neither is the Prince Andres spinoff.
Magnussen being cast in Lilo & Stitch could be a sign that the actor will still be working for Disney, just not as Prince Andres. Perhaps that project is now dead in the water, and Disney is only focusing on making new remakes.
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Neither Magnussen nor Galifianakis has revealed who their characters are for Lilo & Stitch. Disney has not made any public casting announcements, so fans will have to wait and see who these stars will play in the upcoming Disney+ remake.