Dream Cast Thursday! Aladdin

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Aladdin. Most people are familiar with the Disney adaptation. This was certainly my first exposure to the tale. I looked at the Disney adaptation when making my casting decisions. I also looked at the film, Arabian Nights. This miniseries was an adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights. Aladdin was a middle-eastern folk-tale that was added later to the book by Antoine Galland.The original tale takes place in a small Chinese city. When making my casting decisions, I wanted to stay true to the original while keeping with the fun of the Disney adaptation.

The first character that I recast was Aladdin. He has been played by Scott Weinger and Jason Scott Lee. For my adaptation, I cast Takeshi Kaneshiro.

The second character that I recast was the Jasmine/Princess Zobeide character. She has been played by Linda Larkin and Vanessa Mae. For my adaptation, I cast Ziyi Zhang.

The third character that I recast was the Genie. He has been played by Robin Williams and John Leguizamo. For my adaptation, I cast Rupert Friend.

The last character that I recast was the Jafar/Mustappa character. He has been played by Jonathan Freeman and Hugh Quarshie. For my adaptation, I cast Eamonn Walker.

So what do you all think? What adaptations have you seen? Have you read the original folk-tale? Who would be in your adaptation?