Could the formerFresh Prince of Bel-Airbe the man tasked with taking on the role of the Genie in the upcoming live-action remake ofAladdin? Looks like it. Disney seems bound and determined to lock downWill Smithfor a role in one of their live-action remakes, since they were also recently trying to sign him up forTim Burton’sDumbo. The latest news states that the actor is being courted to play the role of the Genie, originally made famous byRobin Williams, in theAladdin remake.
The news comes courtesy of Deadline, who are reporting thatWill Smithis in talks with Disney right now for the role of the Genie in directorGuy Ritchie’s version ofAladdin. The movie is gearing up to shoot later this year in the U.K. and, according to this report, the shoot will be six months long, which is somethingWill Smithwill have to consider before signing on the dotted line. For Disney’s end of it, they have to consider shelling out big bucks, becauseWill Smithdoesn’t come cheap. But his star power has risen once again with the help of movies likeSuicide Squad, so he could be a valuable asset to the live-actionAladdinmovie.
Will Smithis quite the beloved actor, but even when taking that into account, it is going to be incredibly difficult for people to accept anyone other than the lateRobin Williamsas theGenie. The legendary comedian provided the voice for the character in the 1992 animated classic and it is easily one of his most iconic roles. Apart from that,Robin Williamswas truly one-of-a-kind and was one of the most distinctive actors out there. That said, it is seemingly the best possible choice for Disney to not try and get someone to do their best approximation of that performance. Rather, get someone else with a lot of charisma and distinctiveness in their own right to try and make it their own thing.Will Smithcertainly has the charisma and he most definitely has some serious acting chops as well, both in more serious roles and in big blockbuster movies. Plus, since this is going to be a musical, it helps that he has a background in music as well, aside from his accomplished career as an actor.
Despite the difficulty of having to live up to the legacy left behind byRobin Williams, Disney has every reason to believe a live-action remake ofAladdinwill work. They have had a ton of success with similar remakes in recent years, withBeauty and the Beastrecently crossing the $1 billion mark at the global box office andThe Jungle Bookcoming just shy of that milestone last year. Other movies likeCinderellaandAlice in Wonderlandhave also proved to be very profitable for the studio. That being the case,Aladdinis just one of many similar remakes the studio is currently working on, withThe Lion King,The Little Mermaid,Mulanand more all in various stages of development.
The studio is currently in the process of casting for the lead roles ofAladdinand Jasmine and, thanks to a recent casting call, it has been made clear that the studio has no interest in “whitewashing” those roles for this movie. The script for this new take onAladdinis being written byJohn August, withDan Linset to produce. A release date for the live-actionAladdinhas not yet been set, but with the movie expected to wrap production early next year, it is possible Disney could be looking to release it in either late 2018 or perhaps in early 2019.
