Guy Ritchie’s Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Attempts To Gets Things Right With Its Open Casting Search

Hollywood has seen its fair share of casting controversies over the years, with many sending the internet into outrage here in recent years. The Great Wall and Ghost In The Shell are the most recent to play fast and loose with their casting choices, drawing complaints about “white washing” even when it might not be entirely warranted. But they are also far from the worst offenders.

Look at Prince of Persia and Gods of Egypt, using white actors to play Middle Eastern roles. It was especially troublesome for many online with Gods of Egypt, unleashing a string of criticism, avoiding it at the box office, and forcing director Alex Proyas to share a rant of his own calling critics “deranged idiots.”

All of that is a reason why the casting call forGuy Ritchie’s Aladdin that made its way around online today was a pleasant surprise for many.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms the casting call and shows that Disney is being mindful of the concerns of critics and fans alike. According to Collider, the studio is doing something similar with their live action Mulan remake and noted that producer Dan Lin and Guy Ritchie are focused on diversity and avoiding past films mistakes:

“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.”

Nobody is asking the real question here. What happens when Disney runs out of animated movies to turn into live action films? Will they just remake the remakes?

(Via Collider / The Hollywood Reporter)

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