It's been two years since Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud snagged the lead role in Disney's upcoming live-action Aladdin film. But, the hype hasn't died out. On Tuesday, an official trailer for the film made its way online, and the internet kinda lost it.
The 27-year-old actor shared his thoughts in a tweet accompanied with the trailer. In it, Massoud said he sometimes "still pinches" himself at the "idea of playing the iconic character."
Joining Massoud, British-Indian actress Naomi Scott plays the role of Princess Jasmine and Will Smith as the Genie.
But it hasn't been all smooth for Disney.
In July 2017, the entertainment conglomerate received backlash after claiming that the casting of Middle Eastern actors and actresses had been more difficult than anticipated.
Some said this was just a disguise for potentially whitewashing the film.
But, Disney eventually cast Massoud as Aladdin and Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari as Jafar.
So, as Massoud put it .... "get ready for a whole new world!"
"Get ready for a whole new world"
Massoud was born in Egypt to Coptic parents, but was raised in Canada.
He's starred in other films in the past including Jack Ryan (2017), Open Heart (2015), and Saving Hope (2012). In 2019, he's got more than just Aladdin up his alley.
Four other movies - in which he stars - will be released at the end of 2019. These include American noir-thriller Strange But True and Canadian-American drama film Run This Town.
The internet is just loving Aladdin!
"You are the most perfect Aladdin"
