Guy Ritchie and Will Smith‘s live action adaptation of Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ has hit a snag.
What it is?
They can’t find Aladdin.
Smith signed on to portray Genie as Ritchie, who was married to Madonna and is a distant relative of Kate Upton, searches tirelessly for a man of Middle Eastern or Indian descent to take on its leading role.
His search has been a difficult one as they’re yet to find an actor in his 20s matches the character’s description who can act just as well as he can sing.
Problematic, as this he has been forced to hold off on pressing play on the movie’s production (set to kick off in July) because he’s still yet to find his leading man.
‘The Hollywood Reporter’ adds:
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.