Disney Found Its Aladdin And Jasmine, And We Had Lost Our Calm Already
It’s a whole new world with a whole new cast.
The news was officially announced at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, on Saturday: Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are your new Aladdin and Jasmine in Guy Ritchie’s live remake of the animated classic.
Will Smith will play the Genie, which was already rumoured.
Mena Massoud announced as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Will Smith as Genie in live-action Aladdin! #D23Expo
— Disney (@Disney) July 15, 2017
Massoud is a Canadian actor whose credits include the series “Jack Ryan,” “Open Heart” and “Saving Hope.”
Scott also has an impressive resume, recently starring as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in the big-screen “Power Rangers” reboot.
And here they are:
Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott cast as #Aladdin and Jasmine in live-action movie! #D23EXPO pic.twitter.com/ESmooDtRHw
— Kindred Lamar (@_A1va) July 15, 2017
It had recently been reported that Disney was struggling to cast Aladdin and Jasmine’s roles, which led to massive backlash online. Many people suggested Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed, who were both reportedly looked at for the part of Aladdin.
HOW ARE DISNEY STRUGGLING TO FIND AN ALADDIN WHEN THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN EXISTS #Aladdin #DevPatel pic.twitter.com/kE8imN0wV0
— katie (@katiehann_) July 11, 2017
Even though the part didn’t go to either of those actors, Twitter seemed to approve of Saturday’s news:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
YOUR JASMINE, NOAMI SCOTT #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/R8FQyncutM
— Jumah 🇵🇸 (@WokeMutant) July 15, 2017
Mena Massoud to play Aladdin! Here he is! We can stop freaking out! #aladdin #d23expo pic.twitter.com/1ZewYgtsME
— Sarah Sterling @ D23 (@SarahSterling_) July 15, 2017
The cast of the live action Aladdin: Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, and Will Smith as Genie! #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/DkUE1XwBW6
— Sydney Dunmire (@SydneyDunmire) July 15, 2017