Dan Lin says live-action ‘Aladdin’ will not be ‘Prince of Persia,’ whitewashed
The subject of Hollywood whitewashing, where ethnic characters and stories are given a painful Caucasian makeover has been a topic of ire from some groups.
For example, director Scott Derrickson genuinely listened to and learned from fans concerned about whitewashing in Doctor Strange, while other creators don’t care at all. Now Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin is under the microscope and the producer Dan Lin spoke to Collider about it.
“Look at me. I mean I’m not a typical guy,” Lin said in the interview promoting The LEGO Batman Movie. “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 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.”
Prince of Persia was the 2010 film which starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton as heroes in a film set in, well, ancient Persia.
The fact that the film bombed should have clued people into the fact that casting white actors in ethnic roles does not guarantee box office dominance. The exact same thing happened with Exodus: Gods and Kings and Gods of Egypt a few years later with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton.
Lin also noted that the new Aladdin will follow in the footsteps of the upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast and go full-musical.
“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.”
