After a lot of rumors and struggling, the new "Aladdin" remake has found its cast members.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that director Guy Ritchie was having problems in finding the perfect leads for his new movie, but now things have taken a turn for the positive side. In the last week of May 2017, a Disney representative told Hollywood Life that the studio could not find the right actors to play Jasmine, Aladdin, and Genie.
The search for the cast led the filmmaker to audition more than two thousand people for the coveted characters. As "Aladdin" has Arabian roots, Guy Ritchie was looking to cast actors of the Middle East or India.
A lot of people were auditioned
A report by The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the production team went so far as to hold auditions in places like Egypt, India, London, and Dubai, to find the kind of actors they were looking for. One of the main difficulties was a lack of skills. A lot of people did not come up the expectations of Guy Ritchie. Since "Aladdin" is a musical comedy, the cast needs to have good singing and dancing skills.
Three main characters are confirmed
On Saturday, July 15, at the D23 Expo, Disney announced that it had found the main stars. Mena Massoud, a Canadian actor, has been recruited to play Aladdin. Mena was recently seen in "Jack Ryan," a television series about some CIA analysts following dangerous field assignments. His other noticeable works are "Open Heart" and "Saving Hope."
Neither Guy Ritchie nor Disney confirmed anything. Now Smith is officially onboard to portray Genie. It would not be wrong to say that the actor had some tough shoes to fill since the last person to play the part of Genie was Robin Williams -- his portrayal of the character is considered best and most iconic to date. A report by Independent UK reveals that Disney may begin the production of "Aladdin" by the end of this August.
What do you think about the new movie? Do not forget to share your thoughts in the comment box below.