Aladdin’s leads have now been officially unveiled, with relative newcomer Mena Massoud playing the titular role and Power Rangers star Naomi Scott set to play Jasmine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8stIzeynJx/?taken-by=naomigscott&hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLoat2YBPUb/?taken-by=menamassey&hl=en
However, Disney has faced a backlash from some social media users over Scott’s casting. While Aladdin is set in the fictional country of Agrabah, fans of the film have long held the assumption that it is a country that would be situated in the Middle East – which therefore had previously sparked calls for Disney to cast actors with an Arab heritage.
Twitter has found the perfect Aladdin and we couldn't agree more!
While Massoud is of Egyptian background, there has been some criticism of Disney’s choice to cast 24-year-old Scott, who is of British and Indian background.
If i keep reading Naomi Scott was the perfect choice bc "no Arab women can sing/act like her" imma drop a thread on those who can do BETTER
— yasmin (@zarasglory) July 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/dirzacksnyder/status/886301598770647045
Can you believe people said jade wasn't Arab enough and hasn't faced enough discrimination to play jasmine and now they got naomi Scott lol
— ♚ (@hauntedjade) July 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/Stacieleya98/status/886840381945421824
Scott and Massoud will star in Aladdin alongside Will Smith, who will play The Genie – a role that has become synonymous with Robin Williams after the late actor’s star vocal turn in the beloved 1992 animated version.
It’s morphin time for Naomi Scott
Scott's mother Usha Scott is from Uganda and is of Gujarati Indian descent. Meanwhile, Naomi's father, Christopher Scott, is British.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL0qzFrhCYr/?taken-by=naomigscott&hl=en
She is married to soccer star Jordan Spence, who plays for Ipswich Town Football Club, since 2014. The pair dated for four years before getting married.
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