'Aladdin' trivia and fun facts
Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart campaigned for the role of Jafar. He had previously turned down the role in 'Aladdin' (1992) and has regretted it ever since.
Rumors
There are rumors that Gilbert Gottfried would be reprising his role as Iago from the original franchise.
Easter Eggs
The film has been homaged in previous Disney live-action films. Once in 'The Jungle Book', when the Genie's lamp was spotted at King Louie's cave; then again in 'Beauty and the Beast', a model of Agrabah castle appeared.
Disney's logo
When Aladdin and Genie are first speaking in the desert, Carpet can be seen in the background making a sand castle in the form of the Disney logo castle.
Destined to be princes
Mena Massoud was born a year before Aladdín (1992) and Naomi Scott was born a year after it.
Rumors
There are rumors Frank Welker would be reprising his role as Abu the Monkey from the original animated franchise. In the teaser trailer released in October 2018, it IS his voice featured as the Cave of Wonders, but it has yet to be known if it was a new recorded version, or an archival recording from the original film.
Jim Carrey was going to be the Genie
Jim Carrey was the original choice for the Genie but at the time he was involved in a much publicized lawsuit so couldn't commit to any long term work.
An Extensive Casting Call
The filmmakers took an extensive casting call to find actors of the right ethnicity for the film, having an Arabian setting. In the end, the cast comprised of actors of Arab/Middle Eastern/Central Asian/South Asian descent: among them there were Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Anglo-Indian actress Naomi Scott (Jasmine), Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari (Jafar), Iranian-American actors Navid Negahban (the Sultan), Nasim Pedrad (Dalia) and Turkish-German actor Numan Acar (Hakim).
Guy Ritche's Choice
Guy Ritchie was primarily interested in doing the film because it was the Disney story he was closest to: "My stories are really about street hustlers. That's what I know how to do. And Aladdin is a classic street hustler who makes good".