As far as Ice Cube playing Fagin, the actor has previous experience playing tough characters, so we can definitely picture him as a sinister figure manipulating a band of kids to steal on his behalf.
The most recent Oliver Twist movie released was the 2005 Roman Polanski-directed adaptation starring Ben Kingsley, but as the THR report implied, it sounds like the movie from Disney will be a contemporary re-telling, akin to the recent Annie remake.
It’s also worth noting that given Hamilton’s astounding success over the last year (which includes earning 11 Tony Awards), Tony Kail’s involvement definitely bodes well for this being a compelling musical.
Obviously different Oliver Twist adaptations take their own creative liberties with the source material, but the basic tale revolves around an orphan named Oliver who ends up on the streets and is soon brought into a gang of juvenile criminals led by Fagin.