Disney Studios is having a Hard Time looking for the perfect actor who will give life to another Disney classic icon, “Aladdin”. The filmmakers are looking for actors of Indian or Middle-Eastern descent. On top of superb acting skills, director Guy Ritchie is searching for somebody who can both sing in tune and dance gracefully as the upcoming remake of the hit Disney classic will be a musical.
No ‘Aladdin’ yet despite over 2000 auditions
Last month, the production team behind the live action remake of “Aladdin” issued a casting call for interested actors for the lead roles of Jasmine and Aladdin. The initial auditions took place in Mumbai and Delhi and the qualifiers flew to London for the final round.
Reports say Director Ritchie is now down to two actresses for Jasmine. The role will be portrayed by Naomi Scott, an actress with American descent or 19-year-old actress and singer Tara Sutaria from Mumbai. The filmmakers want to achieve a perfect chemistry between Jasmine and Aladdin and Ritchie is planning to make his pick after finding the perfect Aladdin.
However, finding the actor who will ride Aladdin’s carpet proves to be a difficult task. Reports reveal that after at least 2000 auditions, Disney has not yet found the perfect guy to fill Aladdin’s shoes.
Dev Patel who appeared on “Lion” and Riz Ahmed of “The Night Of” were both reportedly considered for the role of Aladdin. Kumail Nanjiani from “The Big Sick” cracks a joke on Twitter about his interest in the role, tweeting “What am I, chopped liver?”
Meanwhile, British-Pakistani actor Ahmed talked about the difficulties about typecasting. He points out that most often than not, gay, black and Muslim characters often get stereotypical roles - the cab driver, the drug syndicate dealer or the annoying keeper of the shop.
Will Smith is Aladdin’s Genie
While Aladdin’s role remains unfilled, the new voice of his Genie has been already picked. Last March, filmmakers announced that will smith will be the new voice behind the iconic character. The role was originally played by Robin Williams in the original release of the movie way back 1992.
Reports claim that the filmmakers are not eager to pick a famous actor and actress to play Jasmine and Aladdin since they want to bank in on Will Smith’s stardom.
Difficulties in choosing the perfect Aladdin has already caused the delay in the action film’s timeline. Shooting schedules have already been pushed back as the search for Aladdin continues.