The first cast picture from Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” is here, and try your best to stay calm
Now that summer has officially come to a close and fall has begun, we’re inching closer to 2018 and, with that, the release of the Guy Ritchie’s upcoming live-action Aladdin(probably).
Over the past few months, we’ve been slowly learning the cast for the upcoming film but have largely remained in the dark about what to expect from the reimagined Disney story. But like the Genie he’s playing, Will Smith just granted us the very first look at the cast, in a spectacular post to Facebook.
Posing with Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and Marwan Kenzari, Smith announced that the film has started shooting, and by the looks of it, his costars have never had a friend like him.
Over the summer at the Disney’s D23 Expo, Disney finally unveiled its Aladdin and Jasmine in Massoud and Scott, and let us bask in the perfection of the casting before revealing Kenzari as Jafar in early August.
Smith’s photo comes just after it was confirmed that Homeland‘s Navid Negahban would be playing the Sultan in the film, completing the casting for the film. Rounding out the cast are Nasim Pedrad, who is playing a new character, a hand maiden and friend to Jasmine named Dalia; Numan Acar as head palace guard Hakim; and Billy Magnussen, who will play new character Prince Anders, a potential suitor for Jasmine.
The filming, which is reportedly based in Atlanta, is set to be completed in January 2018, which means hopefully, it’ll be released in theaters before the end of the year. John August wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film, and Alan Menken will return to score the film, while his iconic songs with Howard Ashman and Tim Rice will be be featured alongside two original songs from La La Land‘s Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul.
We can’t wait to feel like we’re in a whole new world again. In the meantime, we hope Smith continues to share sweet behind-the-scenes photos with us.