Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott attended the European premiere of the new Disney's Aladdin movie in London.

Mena Massoud was cast in the title role and received the call informing him of the good news on the set of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” just three weeks before principal photography was scheduled to begin.

The Egyptian-born actor who was raised in Toronto said,  “Guy wanted to shoot the film in a very real, gritty, fantastical kind of way while still focusing on the friendships and growth of the main characters.”

“Guy has a very specific vision in his head of what he wants to do and how he wants to get to it, but he lets the actors play with it as well. I really appreciated the fact that he trusted us to bring his vision to life, which is such an amazing responsibility to be given.”

Aladdin’s journey of self-discovery is the backbone of the story.  Masood added,  “He sees a future for himself that’s greater than what’s been set out for him at the present moment. He doesn’t know exactly what it is or how he’s going to get there, but he knows it is out there.” 

Will Smith said,  “Robin Williams did an absolutely brilliant job on the film, and it’s such a memorable performance, and for me, when I’m looking at a role—especially one that has nostalgic value to it—I ask myself, ‘Is there any meat left on the bone? What is it that I could add to the role?’

"One of the major aspects was going from animation to live action and the idea of being able to pay homage to the original character and to honor Robin, while at the same time giving a new voice to modernize the Genie…there was the potential to create something that did both of those things.”

The film produced by Dan Lin, p.g.a., and Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a., with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. 

Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and new music written by Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.