• The UK said it has live-fired its new anti-drone radio weapon that costs only about 10 pence to fire.
• It's been heralding such weapons as a cheap alternative to missile-based systems for killing drones.
• This weapon, the RFDEW, is said to kill drones from 1,000 meters away in land, air, and sea environments.

The UK Defense Ministry said on Monday that it's successfully live-tested its new radio frequency weapon that can take down drone swarms for "less than the cost of a pack of mince pies."

"A live firing trial was recently completed by the Army's Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defence Group at a range in West Wales," it said in a statement. "Where they successfully targeted and engaged Uncrewed Aerial Systems, in a first for the British Armed Forces."

The system is called the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon, or RFDEW. The UK says it has a range of up to 1,000 meters, or about 1,093 yards, at an estimated cost of 10 pence, or about $0.13, per shot.

The RFDEW uses high-frequency radio waves to detect, track, and then disable critical electronic components in the drones so that they become immobilized or fall out of the sky.

It's meant to be versatile. The UK says the RFDEW can be deployed in land, air, and sea environments.

Development of the weapon was announced in May, when officials described it as a cheaper alternative to traditional missile-based systems for fighting drones. The defense ministry said at the time that tests would be carried out over the summer.

The UK said the RFDEW is mostly automated, meaning it can be operated by a single person and mounted onto a military vehicle.

It's one of London's answers to the growing prominence of drone warfare, brought to the fore by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where cheap drones have become a primary killing tool in the protracted conflict.

The UK is also developing a vehicle-mounted laser beam weapon that fires shots costing 10 pence each, which it said has a range of 1,000 meters as well.

That weapon was successfully tested too, the ministry said on December 11.

Both systems were developed under a government program that partners with private firms such as Raytheon and Teledyne e2v.

The UK also spent about $126 million developing DragonFire, another laser weapon system that uses high-concentrated energy beams to kill drones at less than $13 a shot.

If these systems can be deployed at scale, their advertised low per-shot cost could be a major advantage for the UK. Traditional anti-drone tech that's already considered to be in the lower-cost range, such as the expendable Raytheon Coyote, can be priced at about $100,000 per munition.

Militaries want to go far cheaper, amid a heightened awareness that any armed force — from Russian and Ukrainian troops to Yemeni rebels — can deliver deadly payloads at less than $1,000 through commercial drone parts.

The US is developing a weapon similar to the RFDEW that uses microwaves to fry drone parts and disable swarms. It looks like a container with a satellite dish and is called the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR.

In April 2023, the US Air Force said it had successfully tested THOR against a drone swarm.

Such technologies are also becoming more mainstream in Ukraine. Kvertus, a company based in Kyiv, sells a handheld "anti-drone gun" that it says can knock out drones with radio frequencies.

A government review board was unable to reach a consensus in Nippon Steel's planned $15 billion purchase of U.S. Steel and has referred the matter to President Biden for final , the two companies said on Monday night.

The big picture: The Washington Post first reported on Monday's deadlock by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on the proposed deal's potential impact on national security if U.S. Steel were sold to Japan's largest steelmaker.

• Both Biden and President-elect Trump have signaled their opposition to the purchase of the Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel, which the United Steelworkers (USW) union is also against.
• Nippon Steel urged Biden late Monday to reflect during the 15-day period that he has to make a final decision "to reflect on the great lengths that we have gone to address any national security concerns that have been raised.

What they're saying: U. S. Steel said in a statement late Monday that the deal "enhances U.S. national and economic security through investment in manufacturing and innovation" by a company "based in one of the United States' closest allies."

• The emailed statement added that it "forges an alliance in steel to combat the competitive threat from China."
• This statement added that the sale should be approved on its merits and that it should be a model for "friendshoring" investment.
• "Nippon Steel has made extraordinary commitments, including over $2.7 billion of investments in our USW facilities, that will be in a binding legal agreement enforceable by the U.S. government, to ensure these virtues are realized," the statement added.
• "It is our hope that President Biden will do the right thing and adhere to the law by approving a transaction that so clearly enhances U.S. national and economic security."

Nippon Steel said in its statement that Biden should reflect on the "significant commitments we have made to grow U. S. Steel, protect American jobs, and strengthen the entire American steel industry, which will enhance American national security," said a spokesperson for the world's fourth-largest steelmaker.

• "We are confident that our transaction should and will be approved if it is fairly evaluated on its merits," added the spokesperson over email.
• Representatives for the CFIUS and Biden did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Inside U.S. Steel's decision to be acquired by Japan's Nippon Steel

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Honda and Nissan face a litany of difficult decisions about their competing vehicles and overlapping U.S. manufacturing jobs if they move forward with a merger.

Why it matters: A combination of Honda and Nissan — formerly fierce competitors — would create the world's third-largest automaker by vehicle sales behind Toyota and Volkswagen.

• It would also raise concerns about plant consolidation for two companies that have invested heavily in U.S. manufacturing.

Driving the news: The Japanese automakers confirmed Monday that they are aiming for a merger via a joint holding company.

• They plan to sign an agreement by June 2025 and get shareholder approval by April 2026.
• The tie-up could also bring along Mitsubishi, a longtime partner of Nissan's.

Between the lines: Honda is the bigger and healthier of the two and would appoint a majority of the holding company's board, the automakers said.

• The proposal comes as Nissan is urgently cutting costs, having fallen behind in the global EV race, while both companies are struggling in the bruising Chinese automotive market.
• The companies said in a statement they expect to standardize their vehicle platforms, "optimize" their manufacturing footprints, "create stronger products, reduce costs, enhance development efficiencies, and improve investment efficiencies."

The intrigue: In a press conference in Japan, Honda's CEO was forced to fend off suggestions his company "was being railroaded into a deal by Japanese officials concerned about the survival of Nissan," the Wall Street Journal wrote.

• "This is not a rescue," Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said, though the WSJ said he "struggled when asked what attracted him to Nissan as a partner."

Reality check: A deal, no matter the terms, poses vexing questions.

• Which vehicles will survive? Their vehicle lineups are not complimentary — indeed, there's significant overlap. In the U.S., for example, the Honda Accord competes with the Nissan Altima in the sedan segment, while the Honda CR-V competes with the Nissan Rogue in the crossover category.
• Will they cut jobs in the U.S.? Honda has more than 23,000 workers at 12 factories in the U.S., while Nissan has some 15,000 workers at three plants here. The companies said they "anticipate ... optimizing their manufacturing plants." Honda's factories are heavily concentrated in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama, while Nissan's are located in Tennessee and Mississippi.
• How will a merger help them compete in China? Chinese automakers are exerting extraordinary pressure on their competitors in the EV space. A combined Honda-Nissan would have greater scale to compete in China, but Mibe reportedly said at the press conference there wouldn't be any significant merger benefits until 2030.
• Can they avoid culture clash? Honda is known for its high quality standards and commands higher prices than Nissan, which has shown more willingness to discount vehicles in the past.

The bottom line: Making this a good fit will require some heavy lifting.

Greenland's leader on Monday responded to President-elect Trump suggesting the U.S. should take ownership of the autonomous territory that's part of the kingdom of Denmark by making clear it's not for sale.

What they're saying: "Greenland is ours," Prime Minister Múte Egede said on Facebook. "We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our year-long struggle for freedom. However, we must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbours."

The big picture: Trump said in announcing PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his choice for United States ambassador to Denmark on Sunday, "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

• He did not elaborate further on his plans for the world's largest island that's not a continent and his representatives did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment on Sunday or Monday evening.

Flashback: Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland during his first term as president, but Danish officials made clear it was not for sale.

Go deeper: Trump demands return of Panama Canal if rates aren't cut

Editor's note: This article has been updated with further context.

• I have two teenagers and I have no idea how they grew up so quickly.
• They don't ask for toys for Christmas anymore, they want my time.
• They roll their eyes in disgust if I offer my time, and if I take too long to respond they move on.

I was surrounded by boxes. Boxes of decorations that still needed to be unpacked, boxes of holiday cards that still needed to be written, boxes of gifts to be wrapped and mailed. And there was my 13-year-old son, nearly as tall as me, standing in the doorway while I surveyed the chaos and contemplated how many days there were until Christmas.

"Hey, Mama. Do you want to go to Starbucks, just the two of us?"

There was so much still to be done and only a few weekend hours left to do it. But I looked at my son, whose face had started to look more like a young adult's than a little kid's, and I said, "Sure, baby, why not?"

I didn't think time would go by so fast

I don't know how it happened so fast, but I have two teenage sons. Thinking back on their little kid Christmases, filled with toys, games, and stuffed animals, I remember the whirlwind of excitement — and exhaustion. I knew they wouldn't always believe in Santa Claus (or wake me up before dawn to open their presents), but it still felt like those magical years would stretch on forever.

This Christmas, though, they're 13 and 15, and their gift requests have shifted from PAW Patrol and Transformers to clothes, tech, and — most unexpectedly — my time.

They don't typically ask for my time outright. If I'm not paying attention or I hesitate too long, the moment will slip away, and they'll move on to something else — usually something that involves a screen, a group chat, and a world to which I'm decidedly not invited.

But every now and then, they let me in. For my 13-year-old, it might look like a quick trip to Starbucks, where we order our favorite drinks, and he fills me in on the latest eighth-grade drama. Or it might be him helping me bake a batch of my "famous" gingersnaps while rattling off information he's accumulated over the course of a school week: what car his friend's dad drives, trivia about the newest roller coaster at Walt Disney World, or how his English teacher knew Bruce Springsteen growing up. For the past two months, it's been an occasional request to run lines with him as he studies his role as Colonel Mustard. Last fall, it was getting up early on vacation to watch the sunrise with me.

My 15-year-old is more low-key because he's an introvert like me. His requests for my time often sneak up on me — and they don't always involve much talking. He might sit down unannounced to watch 20 minutes of an old "Grey's Anatomy" episode with me, tossing in a wry comment about the characters' questionable life choices or the episode's unlikely disaster. Or, like last weekend, he might surprise me by coming home from a friend's house and launching into a detailed account of their "Dungeons and Dragons" campaign, his face lighting up as he recounts every plot twist. On rare occasions, he'll call me into the office to show me what he's doing in 3D computer graphics — a skill he's learned entirely on his own — while I marvel at his creativity.

They don't want it if I offer it

Giving my time to my teens isn't something I can wrap in a bow — and they'd absolutely roll their eyes in disgust if I offered them anything as cutesy as coupons for "Time With Mama." But it's the one gift they (sometimes) genuinely want. Not when it's convenient for me, but when they're ready: when they're stressed, excited, overwhelmed, or simply in the mood to share a moment, or an hour, of their life with me.

Setting aside whatever I'm doing to give them my full attention is as much a gift for me as it is for them. These aren't big, shiny moments — they're quiet, fleeting ones. But being able to give my teens my time is a reminder to myself to slow down and appreciate this life I get to share with them. They're memories I can savor as these teenage years fly by — and moments I hope they'll hold on to when they head off to college and, eventually, into busy lives of their own.

This year, there won't be a mountain of overpriced and unwanted presents under the tree, but there will be time. As much as they want, whenever I can give it. And while I sometimes miss those chaotic Christmases of early childhood, I know I will look back on these quieter days with my teens just as fondly.

• NASA's Parker Solar Probe is about to make its closest approach to the sun.
• The spacecraft will fly within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.
• The spacecraft is collecting essential data that can help inform forecasting models on Earth.

The fastest human-made object is hurtling toward the sun at this very moment, approaching speeds of 430,000 mph — and on December 24, it's scheduled to make history.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018 and has completed 21 close flybys around the sun. However, its mission on Christmas Eve will be unlike any other.

At 6:53 a.m. ET, the spacecraft is set to fly the closest to the sun of any human-made object. The mission will take it closer than any previously scheduled or planned future approaches.

If all goes to plan, the uncrewed spacecraft will come within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.

NASA anticipates the probe will experience temperatures of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, which shouldn't be an issue since the spacecraft's protective heat shield is designed to withstand temperatures over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yes, 3.8 million miles is far by Earth's standards, but it's ridiculously close when you're out in deep space.

It's like if you put the Earth and sun at opposite ends of an American football field: "Parker Solar Probe is on the 4-yard line approaching the sun," Joe Westlake, Director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Division, told 6abc Philadelphia.

"It is getting so close that we're actually in the sun's upper atmosphere. We're actually touching the sun with humanity's first mission to a star," Westlake added.

The moment NASA has been waiting for

The Christmas Eve flyby is the moment the mission has been building up to for years.

"This close approach is only possible because of the mission's orbital design," a NASA spokesperson told Business Insider via email.

"The spacecraft had to shed a lot of orbital energy to get this close to the sun, so that's why it took several years," the spokesperson added.

Over the years the Parker Solar Probe, about the size of a small car, has made increasingly close flybys.

For example, in September 2020, it flew within 8.4 million miles of the solar surface. By September 2023, it reached within 4.5 million miles.

When the spacecraft makes these close approaches, it cuts communication with Earth and flies autonomously, guiding itself through the sun's harsh upper atmosphere until it's far enough away to reestablish coms.

NASA last heard from Parker Solar Probe on December 22 and expects to hear from it again around midnight between Thursday and Friday, Nour Rawafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, said during a recent NASA livestream.

While flying so close to the sun doesn't hold any promise of discovering alien life there or paving the way for future crewed missions to walk on the solar surface, the Parker Solar Probe's mission is, arguably, more important.

Here's what you need to know about this historic mission and how it could help humanity solve some of the world's biggest questions.

Parker Solar Probe is helping us answer the big questions

It may appear calm and quiet from far away, but the sun is a turbulent sphere of activity. It's got solar flares and massive eruptions that fire fast-moving, charged particles deep into our solar system.

"Without that activity, we would not exist. That activity is really necessary for life to kick off," Rawafi said during NASA's livestream.

So, on a grand scale, understanding how our sun works can help us better understand how life originated on Earth and where it might exist elsewhere in the universe.

Also, by studying our own star up close, we can learn how other stars in the universe interact "with the billions and billions of other planets that may or may not be like our own planets," Alex Young, associate director for science communication in NASA's Heliophysics Science Division, said during the livestream.

Wishing for the biggest explosion ever

Rawafi said the best gift the sun could give scientists during Parker Solar Probe's coming approach is "one of the strongest explosions ever."

The sun is currently at a solar maximum — a period of peak solar magnetic activity lasting one to two years and causing powerful flares, eruptions, and ejections.

Sometimes, the charged particles from these eruptions reach Earth. When that happens, it can disrupt satellites, mess with GPS, and subsequently ground flights. It can also expose astronauts to high levels of space radiation.

As we continue to launch more satellites and people into space, these solar events are a growing threat. Yet, scientists don't have a highly accurate forecasting model for warning satellite operators and astronauts far in advance.

That's why Rawafi wants a big explosion: The probe would be in a perfect position to study the event mere moments after it occurs, offering scientists swaths of data that could help inform and improve forecasting models.

Parker Solar Probe has already collected so much data during its years of operation that it will take decades to study it all, Rawafi said at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting in early December.

According to NASA, the spacecraft is scheduled to complete 24 orbits around the sun, with its last two planned for 2025.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains alliances despite sanctions, keeping Russia's economy afloat.
• Countries like India and Vietnam balance relations with both Russia and the West.
• These alliances are crucial for Russia to navigate trade restrictions and economic challenges.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may be heavily sanctioned and running a country that faces sweeping trade restrictions, but he still has friends.

Russia's friends — or frenemies — aren't all pariah states or US rivals. Some of them, like India and Vietnam, have good relations with the West, too.

"Putin is eyeing strategic swing nations like India, which opposes China and trades with Russia," Sean McFate, a military strategist and author of "The New Rules of War," told Business Insider in September.

Moscow is also trying to emerge from diplomatic isolation, looking to forge strategic relationships beyond autocratic partners like China, North Korea, and Iran, he said.

Still, among the nations Putin has been cozying up to, some are more important to Russia because they keep trade humming.

These are five key countries for Russia's sanctions-skirting economy:

1. China

It's no secret that China and Russia have a special relationship.

Not only did Beijing and Moscow declare their "no limits" friendship in a joint statement on February 4, 2022, when Putin visited China for the Beijing Winter Olympics, but the Russian leader wasted no time buttering up China after his election victory in March this year.

China was the first country Putin visited after he was inaugurated for his fifth term as president.

As authoritarian regimes, Russia and China have close historical and political roots. Beijing's rivalry with the US and the West also plays right into Russia's script.

China has consistently ranked as one of Russia's most important trading partners since the mid-2000s.

Last year, China's trade with Russia jumped 26%, to a record $240 billion.

2. India

While China's ties with Russia are based on their antagonistic relationships with the West, Moscow's relationship with India is more nuanced.

New Delhi has been getting closer to the US in recent years. The world's largest democracy, India is a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a security pact that includes the US, Japan, and Australia.

It's also a top supply chain hotspot alternative to China.

At the same time, India has become one of Russia's top trading partners after Moscow pivoted most trade away from Europe, following sweeping sanctions.

Russia's relationship with India goes back to the Cold War, and trade between the two countries has grown since Russia started the war in Ukraine. India is a major buyer of Russian oil and Russia is India's biggest arms supplier.

In June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia and met Putin, showing New Delhi isn't afraid to forge its own path in diplomacy.

3. Brazil

Russia and Brazil have what each other needs, making for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Russia exports oil and fertilizers to Brazil and Brazil exports agriculture products — including soybeans, coffee, and meat — to Russia.

In 2023, bilateral trade between Russia and Brazil reached $8.4 billion, off a record high of nearly $10 billion in 2022.

In recent years, Brazil has become important to Russia as part of the BRICS group, which Putin sees as a counterweight to the West-led world order.

Like Putin, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva backs a multipolar world and has championed an alternative to the almighty US dollar in global trade and payments.

"Every night I ask myself why all countries have to base their trade on the dollar," the Brazilian leader said in April 2023.

4. Turkey

Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are both longtime strongmen leaders.

Russia is one of Turkey's top trading partners, so there are compelling reasons why Ankara would want to deepen ties with Russia.

Just half a year into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Erdogan took up Putin's offer to create a "natural gas hub" as Europe weaned itself off natural gas imports from Russia.

Since the war's outset, Turkey — a NATO member — has been positioning itself as an intermediary between the West and Moscow, brokering grain export deals between Russia and Ukraine and offering to host peace talks between the two sides.

Turkey has also expressed interest in joining BRICS — which Russia is a member of — and has been given partner country status.

5. Kazakhstan

Former Soviet republics, Russia and Kazakhstan are close trade partners and their economic relationship has only deepened amid the Ukraine war.

In 2024, trade turnover between the two countries reached $27 billion — nearly 40% higher than the $19.7 billion in 2019.

Kazakhstan has come under scrutiny for its role as a key hub of goods to and from Russia, including parallel imports. The Kazakhstan government has been cracking down on such deals, but some trade persists.

In August, Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister and its minister of trade and integration, told Bloomberg that some sanctions against Russia have affected the central Asian country's economy.

Kazakhstan "won't blindly follow the sanctions" if it means major local companies are affected, Zhumangarin said.

• Disney is remaking a number of animated classics into live-action movies.
• Some are remakes while others are origin stories or sequels to existing live-action adaptations. 
• Among its current remakes are a live-action "Moana" and "Lilo & Stitch."

Despite Disney's late 2024 live-action release, "Mufasa: The Lion King," making substantially less ($35 million) than its 2019 "The Lion King" CGI-fueled release ($191.7 million) in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, the studio still has plans for two live-action adaptations of beloved animated movies coming in 2025: "Snow White" and "Lilo & Stitch."

And there are plans for more beyond that. Here's everything we know about the upcoming live-action releases of Disney's animated classics. 

Kirsten Acuna contributed to a previous version of this story.

"Snow White" is set for March 21, 2025.

Disney is working on a live-action version of its first animated classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Marc Webb ("The Amazing Spider-Man") directs the upcoming adaptation with "West Side Story" star Rachel Zegler playing the iconic Disney princess. Gal Gadot assumes the role of her stepmother, the Evil Queen.

"Snow White is the girl you remember, but she's definitely made for the modern age," Zegler told the D23 crowd in 2022. "There's such an emphasis on what it really means to be the fairest of them all. For Snow White, it's coming to terms with finding herself and finding her inner voice and finding a sense of agency so that she can be a just ruler and a wonderful queen."

The fairy tale will have new music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the songs for "The Greatest Showman" and "La La Land." 

Disney will release a live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch" on May 23, 2025.

Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance will play Cobra Bubbles in the film, according to Deadline. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen will also star. Maia Kealoha will play Lilo. Dean Fleischer Camp ("Marcel the Shell With Shoes On") will direct.

The director of the original movie, Chris Sanders ("The Wild Robot"), will return to once more voice Stitch.

"Moana" will be released July 10, 2026.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced Disney's working on a live-action "Moana" during a pre-recorded video for a Disney shareholders meeting in early April 2023.

Johnson will reprise his role from the hit 2016 movie as Maui.

"I'm deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of 'Moana' to the live-action big screen," Johnson said in a statement released by Disney.

"This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people's grace and warrior strength," he added. "I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me."

Auli'i Cravalho announced on Instagram she won't reprise her role as the Disney princess. Instead, she'll serve as an executive producer.

This follows the animated box office hit "Moana 2" released at the end of 2024, which has become the studio's "hottest IP."

A live-action "Hercules" is expected to get a theatrical release.

The DisInsider first reported the 1997 animated film about the son of Zeus will get a live-action remake.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Avengers: Endgame" directors Anthony and Joe Russo will produce, but not direct, the film. Guy Ritichie, who directed "Aladdin," will direct.

Joe Russo described the film in November 2022 as a musical that will be "a little bit more experimental in tone."

Danny DeVito and James Woods lent their voices in the animated film. Ariana Grande performed a solo six-part harmony of the movie's "I Won't Say I'm In Love" in 2020, prompting many fans to suggest she'd be the perfect Meg. It's unclear at this time whether music will be a part of the film.

Disney is working on an adaptation of 1996's "Hunchback of Notre Dame," but it's in limbo.

Deadline reported in 2019 that a live-action version of Disney's 1996 movie about an orphaned Quasimodo living in the bell tower of Notre Dame was in the works. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who teamed up on "Pocahontas," will write the music, while Josh Gad ("Frozen") is producing.

Deadline reports the live-action film will adapt both the 1996 Disney film and the Victor Hugo novel. It's not clear whether or not the remake will be for Disney's streaming service or a theatrical release. 

Gad has said the script is "one of the best" he has read and expressed his hope that Disney will let them make the live-action adaptation.

In May 2023, Menken gave ComicBook.com an update: "It's a tough one, because the Hunchback movie, Hunchback story involves a lot of real, real issues that are important issues and should be explored to be discussed. And there has to be an agreement about how we deal with those issues... It sits in this limbo right now."

"Robin Hood" is getting remade for Disney+.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the remake will be directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and will head to Disney+.

In June 2022, Chris Evans said he'd love "a crack" at playing the character since he's a big fan of the animated film.

A sequel to the live-action "Aladdin" may still be in the works, but the star doesn't seem hopeful.

Variety reported that John Gatins and Andrea Berloff are writing a sequel to the 2019 film with producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich returning.

Lin told Business Insider in August 2019 they were discussing a sequel.

"I can't talk too much about the sequel just yet, but know that we are hearing fans' desires to see another 'Aladdin' movie and feel like there's more story to tell," Lin told BI after the film crossed $1 billion at the box office.

Director Guy Ritchie told Collider in February 2023 he "would very much like to" return for a sequel, adding they've "been kicking some ideas around."

However, in March, star Mena Massoud sounded less hopeful, telling fans on Twitter a sequel was "very unlikely at this point."

Disney released two popular direct-to-video sequels for "Aladdin" in the '90s, including "The Return of Jafar" and "Aladdin and the King of Thieves." Variety reported the sequel will be completely original and not based on the straight-to-video films.

Disney has not officially announced the sequel.

An Aladdin spinoff, featuring Prince Anders, is in development at Disney+.

In 2019, THR reported that Billy Magnussen's "Aladdin" character would get his own spin-off movie on Disney Plus. The film is not supposed to be a sequel.

Anders is a prince who unsuccessfully sought Princess Jasmine's hand in marriage in the 2019 film.

In May 2022, Magnussen told Screen Rant the film was still moving forward and in the process of rewrites.

 

Disney is reportedly remaking 1963's "The Sword in the Stone," which follows a young King Arthur and his lessons with the wizard Merlin.

The remake will be written by "Game of Thrones" writer and producer Bryan Cogman. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was named as the director in January 2018.

In 2024, Fresnadillo, who directed the Netflix movie "Damsel," gave an update to Collider on the project: "I was attached a long time ago, and I prepped a lot for Disney for that movie. I don't know exactly what happened, but the studio decided to hold the project. So right now it's in a holding situation, and I don't know what's going to happen, to be honest. But I think it's a great story. I would be so keen to make it if they decided to greenlight the project."

"Bambi" will be getting remade for a new generation.

According to Variety, the remake of the 1942 film won't be live-action with a real deer, rabbit, and skunk. Disney will utilize the technology that helped bring "The Lion King" remake to life to look photorealistic.

In 2023, Deadline reported that Sarah Polley ("Women Talking") was on board to direct, but a year later The Wrap reported that she had exited the project.

We haven't heard updates on the rest of these films in a while. "The Jungle Book" sequel was originally announced years ago.

Before the release of Disney's remake of 1961's "The Jungle Book," the studio already started planning a sequel. The movie was a huge success, grossing nearly $1 billion at the box office.

According to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, Jon Favreau was expected to return to the director's chair for "The Jungle Book 2" along with Justin Marks to return for the sequel. There is no set release date for the movie.

Peter Pan's fairy companion Tinker Bell was reportedly getting her own live-action film, too.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote about a movie in 2015 that would star Reese Witherspoon. 

Disney was reportedly in talks to remake Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach," which was adapted as a stop-motion film in 1996.

No new information has been released since 2016. 

• Tricia Goh is a final year computer science student at the National University of Singapore.
• Unlike most of her peers, Goh says she is not gunning for a job at a FAANG company.
• Goh received a job offer after competing a six-month internship at a Norwegian software company.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tricia Goh, 22, a senior at the National University of Singapore studying computer science. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her education and employment history.

Landing a job in the tech industry isn't as easy as it once was. It's scary to read news stories about how tough the job market is for computer science graduates these days.

Computer science has also become more popular and competitive as a major. There are nearly a thousand students in my batch. This means that each of us could end up fighting with hundreds of people for the same number of roles.

Interestingly, studying computer science wasn't always on the cards for me. Like most Singaporean youths, I had no idea what I wanted to study at university when I graduated from junior college.

To get a better sense of what I wanted to do, I spent the nine months I had before college doing internships. I ended up doing two internships — at a primary school where I taught English and mathematics and at a local IT company that focuses on enterprise software.

Working at that IT company was a transformative experience.

I had the benefit of getting one-to-one guidance from the company's founder, and got to learn more about the tech industry and ecosystem.

The internship ended up sparking my interest in computer science.

In fact, even when school started, I still found myself heading back to the company to help out and brush up on my understanding of areas like cybersecurity and software engineering.

Interning my way to a full-time job

It wasn't easy adapting to university life during my first few semesters.

The curriculum was challenging, and I thought my grades didn't accurately reflect what I could contribute to a company if hired as a full-time employee. That drove me to do more internships to accrue hands-on experience.

This year, I did a six-month internship at a Norwegian software company. The company recently set up its headquarters in Singapore, and I participated in its efforts to break into the Asian market.

At the end of this internship, I was offered a full-time job.

Rejecting the FAANG rat race to walk my own path

Many of my peers are gunning for top high-paying jobs at FAANG companies like Facebook and Google.

People like me who don't aim for those positions often get asked questions like, "Why aren't you going for the best jobs out there? Why aren't you trying to get a job at Google?"

However, I have no regrets about prioritizing my own growth by working at a smaller company.

Working at a FAANG company may be something that many computer science students see themselves doing, but such a goal isn't in line with what I want out of my career.

My long-term goal is to become an entrepreneur and start my own company. I know that I won't be happy earning lots of money if it means working long hours.

I would rather do something more fulfilling that still allows me to support my family and live well. I don't mind opting out of the hustle of chasing big-name companies for smaller learning experiences instead.

Do you have a story to tell about your tech or finance career? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].