Guy Ritchie is struggling to find actors for Aladdin and Kumail Nanjiani feels ignored
Guy Ritchie's live action remake for Aladdin has had its fair share of trouble and it's still not over.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is having problems with casting for the film. While Will Smith is in talks to play the Genie, the problem lies with finding suitable talented actors for the main leads.
The studio had its eyes on Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed for Aladdin, while there are speculations of having Power Rangers actor Naomi Scott on board for Jasmine. Previously in March, a global casting call was announced, and around 2000 actors have read for the parts of the lead. Casting director Tess Joseph has also been touring India, scouting for talent.
Yet for some odd reason, Disney is still struggling to find 20-year-olds who can act, sing and dance... in India... To that we say, "Whaaaa?"
Or as comedian Kumail Nanjiani said;
While we don't know if Kumail is the right guy for the job, he raises an interesting point. Does Disney not know about Lollywood or Bollywood? Do they not know that singing and dancing comes with the South Asian package? Can they not see the plethora of options available to them? Because we can!
Guy Ritchie hopes to start production for Aladdin by August. We hope they find someone by then because it's already been long enough!