Will Smith is Genie and Princess Jasmine is a Power Ranger, as the live-action Aladdin casts its leads
Guy Ritchie’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin has finally found its leads, just days after reports began to circulate saying Disney was having trouble tracking down stars for the upcoming film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company made the big announcement at its D23 expo today, revealing that Power Rangers star Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud—whose credits include the TeenNick series Open Heart, and Amazon’s upcoming Jack Ryan show—will play Princess Jasmine and Aladdin himself. The company also confirmed that the duo will join the already-rumored Will Smith, who’s now officially attached to step into Robin Williams’ pointy shoes as Genie. (Below, you can see Disney’s tweet confirming the casting, plus a picture of relative newcomer Massoud off of his Instagram.)
Aladdin has yet to secure a release date for itself, but it joins an increasingly ambitious slate of live-action remakes and other projects from Disney; the company’s other live-action plans currently include Mulan, The Lion King, and Tim Burton’s Dumbo.