Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari, who starred as Malik in "The Mummy," will be part of the cast of the upcoming live-action adaptation of Disney's "Aladdin," to be directed by Guy Ritchie.
Kenzari, 34, will join previously announced actors Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott and Will Smith, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will play Jafar, the eager for power Grand Vizier of Agrabah who wants to use the genie for his own evil plans.
Nasim Pedrad, who played Gigi Caldwell in "Scream Queens" season 1, has also joined the cast as Mara. The character is a handmaid and close friend of Princess Jasmine (Scott).
In a past interview, producer Dan Lin made it no secret that the live-action remake of "Aladdin" would feature a diverse set of actors. Fortunately, the director and studio shared the same vision as him.
"I'm very fortunate working in Hollywood; I am diverse," the Taiwan-born American film producer said in an interview with Collider. "So when I came in to make the movie, I wanted to make a diverse version of the movie. Luckily for me, Guy Ritchie has the same vision and Disney has the same vision, so we're not here to make 'Prince of Persia.' We want to make a movie that's authentic to that world."
However, not everyone is happy with Scott's casting. While no one is scrutinizing her talent, many are quite disappointed since she is British and Indian, not Middle Eastern.
"This is Naomi Scott. She is Indian and white. This is Jasmine, she is middle eastern. And not white," one netizen said on Twitter, while another one insisted, "All these Arab actresses on the planet and they cast half-white, half-Indian Naomi Scott as Jasmine. Indian isn't middle-eastern, Hollywood."
The live-action adaptation of "Aladdin" does not have an official release date yet, but is expected to arrive sometime in 2018.
