The cast has finally been completed. Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” film has its Aladdin and Jasmine; it has also found its Jafar, and it’s already got its Genie in will smith.
Guy Ritchie is in charge of the 1992 film turned into a live-action feature. The cast includes Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar and Navid Negahban as the Sultan; and Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, and Numan Acar as Dalia, Prince Anders, and Hakim respectively.
With the casting more or less complete, Disney has since announced the production to be underway.
Will Smith was available to take a ‘groupfie’ with his co-members which included Scott, Massoud, and Kenzari.
Will Smith is lovin’ it
If there is any indication whether Will Smith loved his role, it was that photo of the cast. The actor also shared the photo on his Facebook page, coinciding with the announcement of the filming. Guy Ritchie also opened the production at London.
The actor, judging by the photo, seemed to be having fun with his new castmates. Will wrote a caption to the picture, saying that he was “getting his Genie on.”
Mena Massoud also weighed in. In a Twitter post, the actor said that with the cast, “Agrabah” just became a hotter place. As excited as they are, Massoud also knew that the work was just beginning, as he tweeted.
The role of new names Prince Anders and Hakim is also revealed. Hakim is revealed to be the right-hand man to Jafar, while Prince Anders is another suitor wooing the Princess.
A who’s who of the cast
Most of the cast members aren’t newcomers to acting. Mena Massoud and Nicole Scott are credited with “Jack Ryan” and “Power Rangers,” respectively.
Will Smith alone has quite the acting resume with hits like “Men in Black” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Marwan Kenzari has been seen in “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Magnussen, on the other hand, appeared in Disney's "Out of the Wood." The screenplay for the film follows a mix of the animated film with the story from “One Thousand and One Nights.”
The animated film featured songs.
The Disney-backed film will enlist Alan Menken of “Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast” fame for the songs; aiding him in songwriting are Howard Ashman as well as Tim Rice, who is the man behind songs featured in “The Lion King.”
Aside from featuring the original songs from the animated feature, viewers will also hear two new songs composed by Menken, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul.