Aladdin 3477
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Aladdin 3477 is a media franchise based on a trilogy of award-winning live-action science fiction adventure films written and directed by Star Wars artist Matt Busch, and distributed by Buffalo 8, a Bondit company. It is loosely based on the Aladdin and the Magic Lamp tale from One Thousand and One Nights ("The Arabian Nights"), and stars Erik Steele, Christi Perovski, Aaron Golematis, Lin Zy, Jon Rick, and Jerry Hayes.
Story
Setting
Set in the year 3477, Aladdin 3477 is an epic, cyberpunk adventure based on the Arabian Nights tale Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, taking place throughout Asia. The year 3477 is an inside reference to Matt Busch's Star Wars TK number for being an Honorary Member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers, as well as leet for "Matt" if you turn each number sideways.
Plot
In a futuristic Hong Kong, an orphaned con artist named Aladdin dreams of living among the elite. Alongside his loyal, hovering robot, FIDGI, he and his sidekick pull off daring heists with smooth charm and sharp wit. His life changes the moment he sneaks into a posh spa and glimpses Princess Kamala Shivali, India's royal celebrity whose beauty captivates him instantly.
Aladdin escapes royal guards, but can't shake the memory of the princess. Kamala, however, returning to India is a prisoner in her own palace under the iron hand of Lochan Shyamal, the scheming Grand Vizier with plans to overthrow the Sultan with his mastery of Nanotechnology.
Later, when Aladdin is drawn into a perilous mission to recover a legendary lamp in the Kingdom of Cambodia, he is reluctantly paired up with Oomi, a fearless young vagabond whose mischief derails his every move. Their journey reveals more than either expected when they encounter a mysterious sage who claims to be the legendary Jinn of Wisdom. Aladdin is skeptical, dismissing the claim and promise of a wish that could change his world.
As they venture back, the mismatched team weave through the neon landscapes of Thailand where Aladdin faces a troubled past he hoped to leave behind. Amidst narrow escapes, he is forced to make a choice: pursue the allure of power and prestige or embrace the unwavering loyalty of Oomi, whose friendship might be the most valuable treasure Aladdin has ever known.
Style
Having grown up in the Lucas / Spielberg era of blockbuster entertainment, Matt Busch took inspiration from the Star Wars franchise when creating Aladdin 3477 Busch claims the trilogy is similar to Lord of the Rings, and darker in tone, mixed with Eastern culture, Hindu mythology and Asian design motifs.
This version of the Aladdin character shares some similarities with Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China and Han Solo from Star Wars. While most versions of the tale have Aladdin meeting a genie of the lamp, this version introduces a jinn, which is the more commonly used term in Asia. The story does not feature Disney-owned characters like Iago and Abu but introduces new characters such as Oomi, Brej, and Aladdin's robot sidekick FIDGI.
Production
Early development
In the early 1990s, Matt Busch began to create the world of Aladdin 3477 whilst studying Entertainment Design, and Film at Macomb Community College. The initial project began as an illustrated graphic novel titled Kastar Shandax. The first version of the Skysail was also designed by Busch for a student project at the ArtCenter College of Design in California.
Professionally, Busch started his career working on Hollywood movies like Con Air and The Matrix. Busch gained notoriety in the world of publishing, most notably producing art for franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Stranger Things, and Lord of the Rings, as well as music art for acts like Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Pre-production
Busch set out to begin pre-production for the Aladdin 3477 trilogy in 2010, 15 years before the first film was released. While the look of Aladdin 3477 has a Star Wars feel set in Asia, Busch designed the adventure to be reminiscent of Indiana Jones, and the overall trilogy epic in scope like Lord of the Rings.
Prior to filming with actors, Busch traveled throughout India, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Kingdom of Cambodia to film background plates. Busch took inspiration from the Taj Mahal for a castle in the movie.
Having experience creating concept art and previz for larger studio films, Busch painted dozens of production paintings and illustrated storyboards for each shot in the Aladdin 3477 trilogy. In designing Aladdin's sidekick robot Fidgi, Busch determined that Aladdin would build his own robots out of junk from the past, Fidgi's head is a modern-day 90's style portable radio / CD player.
A worldwide open casting call was set up for Aladdin 3477 and received more that 10,000 applicants. After narrowing down 100 candidates for the part of Princess Kamala, Christi Perovski's audition won her the lead role. Lin Zy was cast as the character Oomi because of her expertise in multiple styles of martial arts. While Busch purposely built a cast of unknowns, seasoned actor Jerry Hayes was cast as the Sultan in a more serious role.
Principal photography
The Aladdin 3477 trilogy of films are independent films with no studio support. The filming of the production took 5 years. For efficiency, all of the scenes across the 3 movies were filmed out of order.
Busch financed the film project himself beginning with his savings from George Lucas purchasing a plethora of his original art from Star Wars products via Lucasfilm and associated licensees before depending on credit cards. It is estimated that Busch spent US$600,000 on the trilogy's production, with each film costing approximately US$200,000.[citation needed] All of the shots with actors were filmed across Michigan.
The production exclusively used Blackmagic Design cameras for filming, particularly the Cinema Production Camera 4K, and the URSA Mini Pro. Famed photographers Paul Michael Kane and Frank Lombardo visited the set extensively to photograph behind-the-scenes images.
The films' desert scenes were filmed at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Mears, Michigan. Most of the indoor sets were filmed in a converted industrial space in Clinton Township, Michigan, named the Kaleidoscope Koi Soundstage, which Busch leased for six years. One of the reasons filming took so long is because the modest soundstage only had room to build a single set for use, only to have it later torn down in order to begin building the next one. The Taj Mahal Throne Room was the largest freestanding indoor set built at the soundstage, taking 11 months to complete. Outdoor greenscreen sets were also filmed at the soundstage's parking lot. The majority of the outdoor sets were filmed in Busch's own backyard, as well as the backyard of Production Designer Clayton Selestow.
To create dozens of unique robots, armor, props and miniatures, Busch used a technique called kitbashing to recycle parts from model kits, toys, radios and other devices and everyday household appliances to reassemble new pieces with a retro manufactured look. Over 300 costumes were hand crafted for the films to help round out the characters and extras which filled the futuristic world. The trilogy features many stunts and intense martial arts fighting. Several Sensai from different dojos came together to help choreograph the fighting in a karate style called Shorinji-Ryu. Busch often puppeteered FIDGI.
Music
Aladdin 3477 features the music of Celldweller, an electronic rock project by multi-instrumentalist Klayton. Matt Busch licensed production packs Sonix and Transport, which were produced by Klayton through his company Refractor Audio. Klayton and Busch have collaborated on other projects, including Busch's comic book cover illustration for Celldweller's End of an Empire. Klayton's electronic/new wave moniker Scandroid filmed the music video for "Eden" on the Aladdin 3477 Hong Kong Marketplace set.
Visual effects
Post Production for the first Aladdin 3477 film took 4 years to complete.Director of Photography Alex Jacobson and First Assistant Director Steven Pankotai used in-camera practical effects for the visuals. Busch preferred to use classic Hollywood tricks with mechanical puppets and forced perspective miniatures rather than animated visuals. In total, 688 visual effects shots were composited beyond what was achieved in-camera.
Marketing
Matt Busch first shared public footage of Aladdin 3477 in 2015 at Full Sail University for their annual Hall of Fame event. In subsequent years, Busch would set up large exhibitor booths at Star Wars Celebration shows where fans could view clips and meet with cast and crew.
To help hype the release of the first Aladdin 3477 film, The Jinn of Wisdom, Busch ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, which was fully-funded in 8 hours, ending up generating over 6 times its initial goal. Busch began producing merchandise for the film, including books, toys, clothing, posters, and more. One of the high tier Kickstarter rewards was the role of Executive Producer, to which Peter Mayhew's name was attached by the Peter Mayhew Foundation. Some kickstarter backers also experienced a prescreening film with the director in his personal home theater. At the end of the Kickstarter campaign, Busch hosted a 24 hour Livestream Lounge event to help drum up support in the final hours.
The first movie trailer for Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom received 2.1 Million views on YouTube.
Releases
The Jinn of Wisdom
The first Aladdin 3477 film, The Jinn of Wisdom, is represented by Circus Road Films and is distributed by Buffalo 8, a Bondit company. The film debuted on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Fandango at Home, Cable VOD and Digital HD on January 3, 2025. The film was available to stream through libraries via Hoopla on January 24, 2025. The Jinn of wisdom was later released through AVOD streaming platforms like Tubi, Kinocheck, VA Media, Movie Central, and Vyre Network on March 7, 2025. The physical media release for the film on Blu-ray and DVD was available on July 15, 2025.
Future films
Because all three Aladdin 3477 movies were filmed at the same time, two more movies in the trilogy have already completed physical production, although titles and release dates for the subsequent films have not yet been revealed.
Reception
The Jinn of Wisdom received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its extensive world building and heart, whilst others criticise its storytelling and poor performances caused by budget restraints.
Awards
At the 2018 Hong Kong Business Awards hosted by Apac Magazine, Aladdin 3477 was awarded "Most Anticipated Film Project" while the trilogy of films were still in production.
In November 2025, the first Aladdin 3477 film was nominated for 3 awards for the 7th annual Film Threat Award This! Awards Ceremony in the categories of "Best Independent Science Fiction Film", "Best Director", and "Independent Movie of the Year. On January 31st, 2026, Matt Busch, the FIDGI mechanical puppet, and a handful of the cast we in attendance at the ceremony at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California to bring home their win for "Best Independent Science Fiction Film."
Merchandising
Books
Kaleidoscope Koi Entertainment, LLC has published the following titles:
- Aladdin 3477: Official Collector's Edition by Matt Busch (2023) (ISBN 978-0-9717890-6-7)
- The Art of Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom by Matt Busch (2025) (ISBN 978-0-9717890-7-4)
Toys
Through the support of a successful crowd funding campaign in 2023, Matt Busch designed numerous toys based on the first Aladdin 3477 film. Included through the reward tiers were 10 LEGO-style block figures of the main characters, as well as a set of 6 FIDGI Designer Toys. The FIDGI variant mystery figures were packaged and distributed in blind-boxes for fans to attempt collecting them all.
External links
- at IMDb