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The Royal Vizier will be played by Marwan Kenzari, who appeared in MGM's "Ben-Hur," Universal's "The Mummy" and will star in the upcoming "Murder on the Orient Express." The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news.
Kenzari joins Mena Massoud and Naoimi Scott, who were previously cast as Aladdin and Jasmine. Will Smith will play the Genie and Nasim Pedrad's set to take on a role being created for the film.
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See Who Was Officially Cast as Aladdin and Jasmine In New Disney Film
View StorySo far, Kenzari's casting is sparking major praise online, with many commenting on just how hot the guy is. Check out some of the thirstiest reactions so far:
RT IF YOU'RE HERE FOR HOT JAFAR pic.twitter.com/TrG2DFBmVd
@sbstryker
jafar was a gay icon tbh
@davidmackau
Live Action Jafar can get ittttttttt pic.twitter.com/6xvgniwwL7
@e_alexjung
Pretty sure I'm going to spend the entirety of the live action Aladdin on Jafar's side pic.twitter.com/0aLN46hPTA
@rmdbutler
me seeing the Jafar casting news #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/0goyp4Afyh
@thekuhlest
heyyy jafar I see you bb #aladdin pic.twitter.com/gLIhBnKwSY
@therealrenaud
Oh no the live action Jafar is hot and is gonna start something in me
@SarahDaniels713
um the live action jafar is hot as fuck pic.twitter.com/dcSBMQz8Ci
@yara_zayas
I knew they was gonna make jafar fine as hell https://t.co/hWY1He4Z2z
@shailasus
I'd rather have Jafar show me the world pic.twitter.com/nTCpyBLQZv
@sunnynalani
Listen, Aladdin and Jafar can get this carpet ride https://t.co/gz04tO3GVG
@Osito1034
What the hell? Disney just cast Jafar in the new live action Aladdin movie and he's hot as fuck: pic.twitter.com/FpQMecQEBu
@imatoofbrush
Turns out searching Marwan Kenzari on YouTube was a ~great~ idea https://t.co/AOZrGOzPp5 #HotJafar pic.twitter.com/698RRrWx2u
@JarettSays
The film faced internet backlash when it was reported it was struggling to find an actor fill the title role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "finding a male lead in his 20s who can act and sing has proven difficult — especially since the studio wants someone of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent."
And while established stars like Riz Ahmed ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story") and Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") were flagged by the studio, the film ended up casting a newcomer for the coveted role.
