Live-Action “Aladdin” Won’t Star a White Guy
Since Disney tackled Prince of Persia in 2010 and opted to cast Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead, fans of Aladdin have been preparing for the worst since the live-action adaptation was announced. Luckily, the studio appears to have been listening to the cries of nervous fans. While talking with Collider, Aladdin producer Dan Lin spoke about potential whitewashing:
“Look at me… I mean, I’m not a typical guy. Listen, I’m very fortunate working in Hollywood; I am diverse. So when I came in to make the movie, I wanted to make a diverse version of the movie. Luckily for me, [director] 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… We’re going to be discovering new people, because it’s a real challenge– because not only does an actor have to act, but they really have to have singing chops.”
Fans will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Generally, Hollywood has had many problems with whitewashing. Most recently, Ghost in the Shell cast a white actress to play a Japanese woman. Aladdin isn’t the only popular Disney film with a live-action remake on the way. The 1998 animated film Mulan is being re-made and when a script was leaked, fans were outraged. It appeared that Mulan would fall in love with an “older, white savior type” of character. Luckily, an insider said that script does not dictate the final product.
Disney fans are lucky. The studio has been moving in a diverse direction with many releases in 2016. From Moana to Queen of Katwe that featured young women of colour in starring roles to Rogue One that boasted a diverse cast. In the future, The Rocketeer reboot starring a young black female protagonist, Marvel’s Black Panther, and A Wrinkle in Time show a company that encourages and embraces diversity. It seems Aladdin is in good hands after all.
What do you think about Disney’s diversity? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on Facebook.