‘Aladdin’ remake: Disney casts Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud and Will Smith in leading roles

Disney has finally cast its live-action remake of Aladdin, 25 years after the animated version of the movie hit the big screen in 1992. This follows a worldwide casting call that included stops in India, Abu Dhabi, Egypt and London.

Although the cast has aroused heated discussion about the representation of people of colour in the film industry, Disney has made the dream come true for those who missed out on the 1992 animated classic. It also satisfies the thirst for more realistic takes on our favourite childhood stories after the live-action versions of The Jungle Book, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

The film has yet to announce the cast of the villainous Jafar, the squawking Iago, the monkey Abu, and the tiger Raja but the remake will begin shooting in London in August.

Here is a closer look at the three leading roles.

Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine

Jasmine is the sixth member of the Disney Princess line-up, after Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel and Belle. She is a dreamer who is free-spirited, confident and kind. Naomi Scott, who is of Gujarati Indian, Ugandan and British descent, ticked all the boxes for getting the role. The English actress and singer starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth before she played the Pink Ranger in the Power Ranger movie this year.