ANAHEIM – So much for casting issues. Walt Disney Studios revealed the cast for Guy Ritchie’s live action version of the animated classic “Aladdin” at its D23 convention today. It appears the studio was able to find actors of Persian decent to play the title character and Jasmine.
Relative newcomers Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott will play Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. Massoud’s credits include the upcoming “Jack Ryan” TV series as well “The 99” and “Poser.” Scott is best known for “Power Rangers” (assuming its the same Naomi Scott which is unclear).
Will Smith will take over the iconic role of the Genie originally played by Robin Williams.
Walt Disney Studios president Sean Bailey announced the film is going into production this month. It’s expected to hit theaters sometime in 2019.
Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
