You Can't Help But Smile At The First Live-Action 'Aladdin' Set Photo

If you were thinking you'd have to rub a magic lamp in order to see the first set photo from the live-action Aladdin movie, then you were mistaken. On Wednesday, Will Smith shared a selfie from the Aladdin set, and it promises some serious magic from the upcoming film. And all of that is coming from the cast of the movie, who look like they're already having the best time making it. Showing cast members Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine), Marwin Kanzari (Jafar), and Smith (Genie) all goofing off together for the camera, the photo feels bright with laughter.

Smith captioned the image by saying, "We just started shooting Aladdin and I wanted to intro you guys to our new family." That suggests that, even though we're still in the early days in the production of the movie, the four actors may have already formed a solid bond together. And that's exciting for any Disney fan hoping that this live-action retelling of the beloved animated classic will be just as much fun as the original. The sort of chemistry you hope to see follow through on screen in a movie like this is hard to capture, but these actors seem to be doing just fine.

It's also nice to see the four actors together for the first time, giving us a low-key glimpse of how they may look on screen together. Smith's facial expression, for instance, is serving up the kind of lovable, goofy grin that was a signature of the Genie from Aladdin. Meanwhile, Massoud and Scott behind him already have the excitable smiles of two kids exploring their feelings for each other against all odds. And Kanzari? Well, damn. Put a snake staff in his hand, and you can already see how entertaining his villainy could be.

Before the current main cast got their lucrative roles, there was a great deal of speculation regarding which actors were being considered for the characters. At the start of July, for instance, there were rumors about casting issues, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that around 2,000 actors auditioned for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine.

However, when Massoud and Scott were cast alongside Smith, and later, Kanzari, it felt pretty obvious that the right choices had been made. As Smith's new selfie of the four actors together shows, they seem perfect for the roles on an individual basis, but they also appear to work well together as a group, too. This image bodes well so far for the production and the magic the cast could conjure together in the upcoming movie.