Disney Casts Leads for Live Action ‘Aladdin’ Remake

It’s a whole new world for ‘Aladdin’ fans.

Disney announced over the weekend that they have finally cast the lead roles for Aladdin and Princess Jasmine for the live action remake of the 1992 animation classic.

Disney revealed their two leads at their D23 Expo on Sunday.

British actress, Naomi Scott, is set to play the rebellious Princess Jasmine, while Canadian actor, Mena Massoud, will take on the role of Aladdin.

While neither Scott nor Massoud is originally from the Middle East, they do have interesting backgrounds.

Scott is of Indian and British descent. While her father is British, her mother is originally from Uganda, but of Gujarati Indian descent.
Massoud’s family hails from Egypt, where he was born. However, the family moved to Canada when he was young and he he spent the rest of his childhood in Ontario.

While both actors are relatively unknown, they have done some notable work.

Scott was most recently seen in the new ‘Power Rangers’ movie as the Pink Power Ranger. She is also no stranger to Disney, having starred in the Disney original, ‘Lemonade Mouth’ in 2011.

Other acting credits for the 24-year-old include the Steven Spielberg series, ‘Terra-Nova’, in which she played the role of Maddy Shannon.

Massoud also has also done some television work, starring as Jared Malik in the series, ‘Open Heart’.

The role of the genie, which was voiced by the incomparable Robin Williams in 1992, will be played by Will Smith in the live action remake.

Disney has not confirmed who will be playing the villain Jafar, but we bet they’re lining up someone spectacular.

The film will be directed by British director, Guy Ritchie.

Image credit: Naomi Scott & Mena Massoud (2017) [online image] sourced on 17 July 2017 at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aladdin-disney-remake-finds-leads-1020047