- Dec 13, 2004
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they have the trilogy bluray at Target and Walmart but they're $55-$60
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'Aladdin': Disney Struggles to Find Stars for Its Live-Action Movie
Guy Ritchie and the studio are trying to wrap up a months-long search that has included names (Riz Ahmed, Dev Patel) and complete unknowns from around the world to play the street hustler turned prince.
Disney’s magic carpet ride has hit a bit of turbulence.
The studio and Aladdin director Guy Ritchie launched a global casting call in March to find the stars for the musical based on the hit 1992 animated film about a street kid who teams with a genie to woo the princess Jasmine. Disney, Ritchie and casting director Randi Hiller brought on casting directors around the world, from London to Egypt to Abu Dhabi and India, for what sources say is a massive global search: Around 2,000 actors and actresses have read for the lead roles of Jasmine and Aladdin.
But finding a male lead in his 20s who can act and sing has proven difficult — especially since the studio wants someone of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent (the animated film is set in the fictional Middle Eastern city of Agrabah). The original casting call specified that production was slated to begin by July, but the search has dragged on, with Disney and Ritchie having to go back to the drawing board multiple times. Sources say there have been several rounds of tests in London, with the actors coming in for up to two weeks at a time. “The test process was a mess,” says one agent with a client who tested.
While the studio had interest in Dev Patel, 27, and Riz Ahmed, 34, the male lead will likely be a newcomer. Sources say the studio is eyeing Power Rangers actress Naomi Scott, 24, or Indian actress Tara Sutaria, 21, to play Jasmine, but can’t lock the deal until the male lead has been selected since chemistry is so important to the story. (Will Smith is signed on to play the Genie, and sources say the studio is after known names for the role of the villain Jafar).
Among the newcomers who were still in the running for the riffraff/street rat in the most recent rounds of testing were Dutch actor Achraf Koutet, Canadian actor Mena Massoud and American George Kosturos.
As the search has dragged on (sources say the filmmakers went back to dig through the tapes once again when the most recent round of testing did not go well), the studio has brought on two movie-musical veterans to consult on the project: Marc Platt, who has a strong background in producing musicals and worked on Disney’s upcoming Mary Poppins Returns; and Chris Montan, a longtime executive music producer for Disney’s animated project such as Pocahontas, Toy Story, Hercules and Frozen.
The lengthy casting process could be a promising sign, however. Disney has had success with previous extensive casting searches for its live-action fare, from Lily James as Cinderella to Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and insiders say the studio's delay in landing Aladdin is due to its determination to get the casting right for such a beloved and iconic character.
The live-action adaptations of its classic animated films has been a key strategy for the studio that has paid off with hits including Cinderella ($543.5 million worldwide), Maleficent ($758.5 million) and Beauty and the Beast ($1.3 billion). As is the case with Aladdin, Disney is also committed to finding culturally appropriate leads for its other live-action feature, Mulan, focusing its casting search in mainland China.
With shooting for Aladdin now planned to start in August, Disney may have to use all three of its wishes to find its diamond in the rough.
and DJ Khaled as the sultan?
they have the trilogy bluray at Target and Walmart but they're $55-$60
theres the diamond edition blu ray
damn I guess being race accurate is proving to be more difficult for them but seems like Will Smith is in as the Genie for sure
all in for pink ranger being Jasmine and for Al, if Riz could sing just give him the role
Right? And I mean that in a negative way either.
Was just about to bring this up....
I actually just did it about an hour ago. The seller had great reviews, it was the 2003 DVD 2 disc set. Fingers crossed that it is legit though. I still saw a few people review other sellers saying the copy they got wasn't legit, and/or didn't play properly.
Thanks for responding.
Hayley Atwell Joins Ewan McGregor Disney's Winnie the Pooh Live-Action Movie: ‘Christopher Robin’
Hayley Atwell is set to co-star with Ewan McGregor in Disney’s “Christopher Robin,” sources tell Variety.
“World War Z’s” Marc Forster is directing.
“Christopher Robin” follows Disney’s ongoing model of taking animated classics from its archives and giving them a live-action spin, centering on Robin (McGregor), the little boy from the “Winnie the Pooh” series, who is now all-grown-up and lost all sense of imagination. Pooh and his friends reenter Robin’s life to help him find it once again. Atwell will play Robin’s wife.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...alks-voice-scar-live-action-lion-king-1026338Jon Favreau, who directed the live-action remake of The Jungle Book, is also sitting behind the camera for LionKing, which already boasts a stellar voice cast of Donald Glover as Simba, the young lion who would be king, and James Earl Jones as his father, Mufasa (Jones also voiced the character in the 1994 original).
Also lending their pipes to the pride are Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and John Oliver.
Jeremy Irons voiced Scar, who betrays his brother Mufasa in order to steal the animal kingdom’s crown, in the animated version.
The new movie is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
Ejiofor was last seen onscreen playing the troubled sorcerer Mordo in Marvel’s Doctor Strange.
EW has confirmed that Alfre Woodard will voice Sarabi, the mate of leonine ruler Mufasa and mother of cub-prince Simba, in Disney’s live-action reimagining of its 1994 animated hit, while John Kani will portray the primate Rafiki, a trusted royal adviser.
Woodard and Kani join a cast that includes Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa (reprising his role from the original), Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and John Oliver as Zazu.
Madge Sinclair portrayed Sarabi in the 1994 version, and Robert Guillaume voiced Rafiki.