It’s a whole real world.

And based on Disney’s recent track record, we should all be very excited.

A live action Mulan was first announced recently when Disney confirmed that their Untitled Disney Fairy Tale for 11/2/18 would be the Mulan adaptation. In recent days, they’ve also confirmed that the cast – including the love interest – would not involve Caucasian actors in major roles. From an official statement:

• Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all of the primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese.

No director or cast have yet been hired for Mulan (although fans will no doubt wonder if a non-Chinese exception will be made for Eddie Murphy to reprise his voice role as Mushu the Dragon), but things are moving faster on that front with the just-announced live action Aladdin.

Director Guy Ritchie – known primarily for his Robert Downey Jr. led Sherlock Holmes action movies – is in final negotiations to take the helm. His signature kinetic style should fit the tone of, as Disney describes it, “an ambitious and non-traditional take on Aladdin”.

On the surface it seems a bit of an odd choice, but for a story that’s primarily an action story involving a “street rat” (and not focused on the Genie – even if that’s who we first thing of – or a traditional Princess fairy tale), Ritchie seems like an inspired choice. Screenwriter John August (Tim Burton‘s Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has been hired to adapt the screenplay, and producer Dan Lin will rejoin Ritchie as the two collaborated previously on the Sherlock Holmes franchise.

No release date has been announced for Aladdin, but Mulan will hit theaters on November 2, 2018.