Aladdin (2019 film)

Aladdin is an upcoming American live-action film and remake of the animated film of the same name, based on the version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Cast

 * Mena Massoud as Aladdin
 * Naomi Scott as Jasmine
 * Will Smith as Genie

Development
On October 10, 2016, Deadline.com reported that Disney was developing a live-action remake of Aladdin with Guy Ritchie in talks to direct the film. John August is writing the script that will reportedly retain the musical elements of the original film while Dan Lin is attached as producer.

In March 9, 2017, announced the start of the casting of the protagonists (Aladdin and Princess Jasmine). Lin revealed that they are looking for a diverse cast.

On April 19, 2017, Will Smith was in talks to portray the role of The Genie.

In May 2017, Jade Thirlwall entered talks to portray the role of Princess Jasmine.

In June 2017, Guy Ritchie revealed that he wanted Tom Hardy to take the role of Jafar.

Later that month, Alan Menken revealed that he will return to compose the music (he also composed music in the original film.

Production on the film was slated to begin in July of 2017. However, on July 11, 2017, it was reported that production on the film would be delayed to August, due to difficulties in finding suitable actors and actresses to portray the leads, Aladdin and Jasmine. Both actors are required to sing, dance, and be of either Middle Eastern or Indian descent. It has also been stated that the studio would prefer newcomers and unknown talents for the two lead roles. Around 2,000 auditions for Aladdin and Jasmine have taken place in London, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, and India, and despite the global search, Disney has not been satisfied with the results. The same report claims that actor Will Smith is "locked" to voice the Genie, while Disney is looking to cast a "big name actor" for the role of Jafar.

At the 2017 D23 Expo, the main cast was announced, including the confirmation of Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massaud as Aladdin, and Naomi Scott as Jasmine.