Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 1, 2017)

After storming Hollywood with famously swashbuckling Brit hits like Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla, following it up by helming a Sherlock Holmes film and Charlie Hunnam-starrer King Arthur, Guy Ritchie is now India-bound.

The 48-year-old filmmaker has entrusted acclaimed casting director Tess Joseph (Life of Pi, The Namesake, Lion), who has earned a reputation for scouting pitch-perfect actors for Indian parts in Hollywood films, with the task of finding Aladdin and Jasmine, the protagonists of his next project, in India.

The Mumbai-based casting director has been touring Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi to conduct auditions since the last few weeks and the team is hoping to zero in on the leads in the next few days. A source close to the development told Mirror, “The basic requirement are actors who can sing like Broadway artistes. While some popular actor-singers have already auditioned, the team is still looking for its leads. The live-action film will be shot in London later this year.”

Titled Aladdin, the film is an adapted screenplay penned by Grammy nominated John August and is based on the animated classic about a poor young man who vies for the love of a princess by using a genie’s magical powers to make him seem like a prince.