Navid Negahban Praises Guy Ritchie's Work On Live-Action 'Aladdin'

The live action Aladdin has been under some scrutiny lately, but the cast seems to be behind director Guy Ritchie's vision.

That includes actor Navid Negahban, who is playing the Sultan in this latest incarnation. Negahban spoke to Global Dispatch about how the film's coming along, and couldn't help but gush about what Ritchie's doing with the beloved property.

He said Ritchie brings so much "passion" and "commitment" to the film, adding "He just found beauty in these scenes…as the filming went on it really became like a family and Guy was just amazing, finding these little nuances to make it (the film) so much more intense or powerful."

His praise also extends to lead actor Mena Massoud, saying "he's on that journey," referring to Massoud being relatively unknown. "He uses that to explore Aladdin…his growth and maturity. You really see that with Mena. I think you'll love it."

Negahban called the cast a "family" more than once, and also made sure to mention his Genie co-star Will Smith. "Will brings so much energy and enthusiasm." He also added that while there are some ad-libs from Smith, the script and the classic story, in general, were still held to "faithfully". "You will definitely love the film. It doesn't matter how old you are, the film has something for you to take away from it."

Aladdin is the latest in a long line of live-action remakes for Disney, though it is a trend that shows no sign of stopping. Their previous effort Beauty and the Beast managed to bring in a plethora of box office receipts, resulting in a domestic haul of over $504 million. Worldwide it managed to pull in over $1.2 billion in ticket sales, and hopes are high that Aladdin, a long beloved film for Disney, will do something similar.

Aladdin currently enjoys a 3.10 out of 5 on ComicBook.com's anticipation rankings, which places it at the #40 spot. You can submit your score for the film here.

Aladdin hits theaters on May 24, 2019.