Posted in: Movies | Tagged: Aladdin, billy magnussen, disney, guy ritchie, marwan kenzari, mena massoud, naomi scott, will smith
Disney Finds A Way To Put A White Guy In Aladdin, Casts Billy Magnussen As New Character
Fans of Aladdin excited for the upcoming live-action reboot by director Guy Ritchie, but worried because Disney hasn't yet found a way to whitewash any of the main characters, can breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
It was challenging to figure out how to cast a white actor in the film due to it taking place in the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, and with Will Smith already been cast as the Genie, it seemed like Disney may have backed themselves into a corner and would be forced to release a movie with no white actors, breaking with Hollywood tradition. However, through perseverance and ingenuity, Disney has found a way to get a white guy into this film after all.
The studio cast actor Billy Magnussen in the role of a new character named Prince Anders, according to a report from THR. There are no other details available about Magnussen's character yet.
The news comes just one week after actor Ed Skrein resigned from his part in the upcoming Hellboy reboot after learning that his casting was whitewashing an Asian character, making it AWKWARD for any future white actors who accept a whitewashing role.
Magnussen joins Mena Massoud's Prince Ali, Naomi Scott's Princess Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari's Jafar in the film, which does not have a release date yet.