After many speculations and wait, Disney has finally announced the cast for its live-action reboot of "Aladdin." The cast members were announced on Saturday at the D23 Expo: Will Smith will play Genie (who was previously voiced by Robin Williams in the 1992 version), Naomi Scott will play Princess Jasmine, while the role of Aladdin as been assigned to Mena Massoud.
What do we know so far
The cast members were announced on Saturday at the D23 expo - Will Smith will play Genie (who was previously voiced by Robin Williams in the 1992 version), Naomi Scott will play Princess Jasmine, and Aladdin will be played by Mena Massoud.
Scott and Massoud, who will play the lead couple, are relatively unknown actors. According to The Hollywood Reporter, around 2000 males and females auditioned for the lead roles of Jasmine and Aladdin. The script for the film was written by "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" writer John August. The original 1992 animated movie was not only a major success at the box office, but it also managed to win some awards. Among these, two Academy Awards (Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song), and three Golden Globes (Best Original Score - Motion Picture, Best Original Song - Motion Picture, plus a Special Award for his vocal work with Robin Williams).
Who are Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud
24-year-old Naomi Scott was born in London to a Ugandan mother (who is of Gujarati Indian descent) and a British father -- both of whom are pastors in the United Kingdom. The young actress got married to her boyfriend of four years, footballer Jordan Spence back in 2014. This is not the first time that the British actress has been cast in a Disney movie, previously Naomi played "Mohini Banjaree" in the 2011 teen musical movie "Lemonade Mouth."
The 24-year-old actress got much recognition after she portrayed "Pink Ranger/ Kimberly Hart" in this year's superhero movie "Power Rangers." Scott has done some roles in various television series, she played "Maddy Shannon" in 2011 "Terra Nova" (the show was produced by Steven Spielberg) and acted as "Megan" in 2008-2009 television series "Life Bites."
The role of "Aladdin" can prove to be a breakthrough character for Mena Massoud.
The relatively unpopular actor was born to Egyptian parents and was brought up in Canada. He is set to appear alongside John Krasinski as "Tarek Kassar" in the television series "Jack Ryan." Massoud will also play "Chaz" in the 2018 movie "Strange but true," which is directed by Rowan Athale. Mena Massoud, who was born on September 17th, has appeared in many short films and series including 2015 series "Open Heart" where he played "Jared Malik" and 2011 series "The 99" where he appeared as "Hafiz the Preserver, Dave, and Saad." He also played "Zaid" and "Majid" in the 2017 movies "Final Exam" and "Masters in Crime" respectively.
