'Aladdin' Updates: Disney Yet to Announce Actor for Upcoming Live-Action Movie's Version of Jafar

By Vincent Alocada, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, August 01, 2017

While the cast members of the live-action version of the Disney animated classic "Aladdin" are slowly being revealed, fans are still wondering who will breathe life to the villainous character of Jafar.

Although Disney has long announced its plan to make a live-action adaptation of its classic animated 1992 hit "Aladdin," it was only last month when the studio announced who will be breathing life to the movie's key roles: Egypt-born and Canada-raised actor Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, and Will Smith as the Genie.

As of this writing, though, fans are still clueless as to who will play the role of Jafar, the movie's main villain. While rumors claiming that British actor Tom Hardy will play the role, everything is just a speculation at this point in time.

While it remains unclear if Hardy will, indeed, breathe life to the character, the Internet is already divided on whether he is worthy of the role or not. As "Aladdin" is set in the Middle East and has Arabic characters, some opine that Disney had better cast someone who is of Arab heritage, at the very least, for the role.

To recall, the announcement of Scott to play the role of Jasmine has been met with criticisms, too. As the actress is half-Indian and half-English, some insist that it would have been better for the live-action "Aladdin" to cast someone of Middle-Eastern descent.

Meanwhile, the live-action "Aladdin" movie will be helmed by Guy Ritchie, and will be influenced by the 1992 animated movie blockbuster, while its fictional city of Agrabah will take inspiration from global influences, such as the Middle East, India, and even China.

As announced by Walt Disney Studios production president Sean Bailey, the movie adaptation will also take "Aladdin" back to its classic origins as told in the Arabic collection of folktales, "One Thousand and One Nights."

Disney has yet to announce an official release date for "Aladdin."