Disney
A live-action reboot of the 1992 animated classic Aladdin has been confirmed!
According to Hollywood Reporter, Disney and director Guy Ritchie spent months searching for the perfect lead actors – sitting through an estimated 2,000 audition for the roles of Jasmine and Aladdin.
And despite the build-up, fans are enraged after learning Disney agreed to the casting of a non-Arab actress to play Princess Jasmine.
Power Rangers star Naomi Scott has been chosen as the female lead alongside Mena Massoud as Aladdin, and Will Smith as Genie.
Given that 24-year-old Scott is of British and Indian heritage, some critics have claimed that the move may be a suggestion by Disney that women of Indian and Middle Eastern heritage look the same. Massoud, also 24, is of Egyptian descent.
Aladdin — the story of a struggling child-of-the-streets enlists a genie to win the love of Princess Jasmine—is set in fictional Agrabah, however it’s been known to represent an Arabian city.
One critic of the decision revealed it was one more instance of Hollywood believing that “brown [people] are interchangeable,” while another said fans are “upset that their representation was taken away, and rightly so.”
The importance of casting is now more crucial than ever, given the live-action adaptation of fellow Disney has proven to be highly successful for the company. Most recently, the remake of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, broke records with a $170 million debut earlier this year and garnering whopping $1.3 billion worldwide.
Aladdin — the story of a struggling child-of-the-streets enlists a genie to win the love of Princess Jasmine—is set in fictional Agrabah, however it’s been known to represent an Arabian city.
One critic of the decision revealed it was one more instance of Hollywood believing that “brown [people] are interchangeable,” while another said fans are “upset that their representation was taken away, and rightly so.”
The importance of casting is now more crucial than ever, given the live-action adaptation of fellow Disney has proven to be highly successful for the company. Most recently, the remake of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, broke records with a $170 million debut earlier this year and garnering whopping $1.3 billion worldwide.
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