Filmmaker Guy Ritchie hopes to start production of the much-anticipated Aladdin by August ? however, going by the media reports, surprisingly the filmmaker and his team have not yet finalised an actor to play Aladdin.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ritchie have delayed shooting after auditioning hundreds failed to produce the perfect person to be the street-smart orphan

The studio is having a tricky time casting a male lead who can act, sing and capture the magic of the character and are committed to the actor being of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent, report also suggest that Disney was interested in casting Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed but now is looking like the star will most likely be a rookie.

The production was originally scheduled to start in July, but without a lead principal shooting has now been pushed back to August.

Film critics and fans both publicly worried that the films casting troubles could lead to the story set in the fictional Middle Eastern city of Agrahbah to get a dose of whitewashing.

The film already received pushback when it was leaked that Englishman Tom Hardy was to play the evil sorcerer Jafar.