"Some day my prince will come," Snow White sang in one of the most famous Disney films. But despite searching since March, Disney have so far failed to find their prince for their latest venture - a live action film of Aladdin..
Director Guy Ritchie and Disney are looking for someone to play the title role of the street urchin who rises to become prince of the fictional Middle Eastern city of Agrabah.
The search has included big names such as Riz Ahmed, 34, and Dev Patel, 27, but casting directors are thought to want a newcomer in the role.
Disney are looking for a young actor and singer of Middle Eastern or India descent for the role, to fit in with the context of the story.
Their search has taken them to Abu Dhabi, Egypt and India, as well as London. It is believed around 2,000 actors and actresses have read for the role of Aladdin and the female lead, Jasmine.
The live-action musical film will be an adaptation of the hit 1992 animated film about a street kid who falls in love with princess Jasmine and becomes best friends with a magical genie.
Two actresses are rumoured to be in the running for the role of Jasmine: Power Rangers actress Naomi Scott, 24, or Indian actress Tara Sutaria, 21. It is unlikely that the chosen actress will be confirmed for the role until the male lead has been found as the pair need to work well together on screen.
Production was due to begin this month but has been delayed due to the casting issues. It is now planned to begin next month.
According to the film industry publication The Hollywood Reporter, there have been several rounds of screen tests in London, with the actors coming in for up to two weeks at a time. According to one rumour, the little-known Bollywood actor Siddarth Gupta is in the running for the role of Aladdin.
“The test process was a mess,”said one agent with a client who was auditioned.
Hollywood star Will Smith has signed up to play the genie, and sources say the studio is after a big name for the role of the villain, Jafar.
This is not the first time Disney have taken their time over casting their films. Finding Lily James for Cinderella and Daisy Ridley for The Force Awakens' Daisy Ridley took longer than expected.
Disney has also received many suggestions on social media as to who their new leading man should be. They include the young Canadian actor Avan Jogia, who is half-Indian, and Bollywood actor, Hrithik Roshan. Others have stressed the importance of an ethnically-appropriate actor, with one tweeting, "If a white guy plays Aladdin I'm starting a riot ”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Company%20profile
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Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
More on animal trafficking
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
