The film will be written and directed by Alexander Kronemer and is scheduled for production this summer.
In Lamya’s Poem, a 13-year old Syrian refugee (Davis) tumbles into a dream world where she meets a troubled young poet (Massoud) and must help him write the poem that will save her life.
Mena will voice Jalal (young Rumi). Millie will voice Lamya. Faran will voice Baha Walad (Rumi’s father).
Alexander said, “We’re very excited to have Mena Massoud on this project. We already have an amazing animation team who are pursuing a hybrid 2D-3D style to give the film the look of an animated watercolor. But as good as the visuals are, it’s the performance of the actors who ultimately makes the difference. Mena and his co-stars Millie Davis and Faran Tahir, are extremely talented, and Mena has expressed a special affinity to the subject matter, which brings a lot of integrity and insight to his performance.”
The two Aladdin stars hosted a fan screening at the Plaza Oasis Coyoacán on Wednesday (May 15) in Mexico City, Mexico just after a press conference event.
If you missed it, a new featurette for the film was just released!
The “World of ‘Aladdin’” visual takes you to the bustling streets of Agrabah that production designer Gemma Jackson brings to life, as well as to the stunning desert vistas of Jordan where the “Aladdin” production filmed for several weeks in order to capture the natural beauty of the region.
Aladdin hits theaters on May 24th!
FYI: Naomi wore a Proenza Schouler dress at the press conference and Emilio Pucci dress for the screening. Mena is wearing a Versace suit for the premiere.
Mena Massoud heads out of Global Radio Studios after promoting Aladdin in London, England on Thursday morning (May 9).
The 27-year-old actor recently chatted with People about the film and how he hopes it will open everyone’s eyes to Middle Eastern actors.
“I think it is changing obviously with Rami Malek winning the Oscar and doing an incredible job with Freddie. There’s a lot of Middle Easterners coming up now,” Mena shared.
He continues, “I hope it’s changing. I think this film is really important and it’s a representation. Hopefully if it does well in cinemas Hollywood can have confidence in the fact that you can put a Middle Eastern in an iconic role and it will still do well.”
Check out Mena‘s recent tweet about watching the flick below!
Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud hit the purple carpet at the premiere of Aladdin in London, England!
The three stars posed for pictures on the red carpet alongside co-stars Will Smith and Marwen Kenzari and director Guy Ritchie at the event, held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Thursday night (May 9).
Guy was joined by his wife, Jacqui, at the event. Naomi was joined by her husband, Jordan Spence.
This is the second stop on the Magic Carpet World Tour, which will continue over the next two weeks. You can keep up with all the events with the hashtag #MagicCarpetTour.
Aladdin is set to hit theaters on May 24th.
FYI: Naomi wore a custom Burberry dress with De Beers jewels. Jordan also wore Burberry. Mena wore Ermenegildo Zegna XXX.
