Disney is on the hunt for the next Jasmine and Aladdin. The Guy Ritchie-directed live-action adaptation of the classic animated feature has sent out a casting notice calling for Middle Eastern actors in the 18 to 25 age range to audition for its leads, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Aladdin is set to be a movie-musical (a la the upcoming Beauty and the Beast reimagining), so the notice reads "must be able to sing" and says dancing experience is "a plus." Shooting will take place over an approximate six-month period, from July 2017 to January 2018, in the U.K., with rehearsals beginning in April. Scott Weinger and Linda Larkin voiced Aladdin and Jasmine in the 1992 animated feature, which follows a street-wise youth who tries to woo a princess and defeat an evil sorcerer after he stumbles upon a magic lamp and is granted three wishes by a genie trapped inside. Big Fish writer John August penned the screenplay for the feature, which is being produced by Dan Lin via his Lin Pictures banner, with Jonathan Eirich executive producing. Recently, Disney had a similar casting call for the leads in the live-action Mulan remake, asking that those who audition speak "fluent English and Mandarin Chinese." The casting notice was posted on Twitter earlier on Thursday.
Source: Billboards