Egyptian Actor Mena Massoud Has Been Cast In The New Live Action Aladdin Film

He was chosen from thousands of hopefuls who auditioned from around the world

Disney’s live action Aladdin film may only be in the early stages of production but already, a lot of controversy has been stirred over the casting requirements of its lead actors. Despite reports that Guy Ritchie, the film’s director, was struggling to find actors to play Aladdin and Jasmine, it was announced at D23 (Disney’s annual expo) that the parts had already been secured with Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud cast to play the title role and British-Indian actress Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine. 

Mena Massoud:

…the fleeting subtle moments that go consciously unnoticed but stealthily impactful. #montreal #lovingit #jackryan #cantwait

A post shared by Mena Massoud (@menamassey) on Mar 25, 2017 at 8:52am PDT

Naomi Scott: 

A post shared by Naomi Scott (@naomigscott) on Mar 15, 2017 at 9:25am PDT

Massoud is best known for roles in TV shows Jack Ryan and Open Heart while Scott has had more screen time in Hollywood playing Kimberly Hart AKA the Pink Ranger in last year’s Power Rangers movie reboot.  

Much like the studio’s Beauty and the Beast remake with Emma Watson, this live-action reboot will allow the storybook characters to come to life in a more modern telling of the book. No release date has been announced yet but if the success of Beauty and the Beast is anything to go by, we expect big things from Aladdin.