White washing is a heavy social issue that plagues many Hollywood films that choose to have give characters of different ethnicities to predominantly white Hollywood actors.
One recent example is Marvel's Doctor Strange which gave the role of the Tibetan Ancient One to Tilda Swinton, an award winning British actress. Though the film was largely a success, the casting choice brought a lot of negative remarks from those who felt that Marvel had white washed the Ancient One.
Now, to avoid the same fate, the team behind the live-action adaptation of Disney's Aladdin promise fans that their casting choices will stay true to each characters ethnicity in the upcoming film. When asked about whitewashing while speaking with Collider for a press junket for The Lego Batman Movie, producer Dan Lin went on record to assure fans that Aladdin would distance itself from whitewashing caustically.
"Look at me. (Laughs) I mean I'm not a typical guy," Lin said. "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 [‘Aladdin' 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."
Lin and director Ritchie are willing to cast new comers to play the major roles of Aladdin and Jasmine, confirming that the film will retain its musicality.
"We're gonna 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."
Though living up to the iconic 1995 classic Aladdin will be a challenge for Lin and Ritchie, it's going to be pretty exciting to how the team brings the film to life.
Read: Disney CEO Bob Iger Has Already Seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Early Cut
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