Will Smith in talks to play Genie in live-action, 'Aladdin'

Image from Today Show

By Darian Scalamoni

            It’s unfortunate but once the live-action Aladdin movie was announced, we knew that someone would have to take the reins of the character of Genie that was made so famous from the late, great Robin Williams. According to Deadline, it seems that Disney is in talks with Will Smith to play the role just months after he was in talks for Tim Burton’s Dumbo.

            Aladdin will be directed by an auteur, similar to Burton in Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes) and similar to the most recent success for Disney in their live-action schedule with Beauty and the Beast, it will be a musical. The latter film has already grossed over $1 billion worldwide so the money may be talking to Smith especially because it wasn’t just beloved by fans of the classic original animated movie, but the live-action surprised and did very well critically too. Smith also has a former musical background as The Fresh Prince rapper has released four solo rap albums and five others with DJ Jazzy Jeff. As upset as I am that Disney is doing this after the death of a beloved actor like Williams who won an honorary Oscar for his performance in the 1992 animated classic, Smith seems to be a good choice. He has a unique, fun and charismatic sense about him. He’ll do great work as the Genie if he is indeed cast.

            Smith can be seen next in the Netflix original movie, Bright along with Joel Edgerton. After that, he’s expected to shoot his long-awaited, Bad Boys for Life sequel with Martin Lawrence. Aladdin could change the schedule though as it’s set to start shooting this July in the United Kingdom.

            How do you guys feel about Will Smith as Genie in Aladdin? Is it too soon considering Robin Williams only passed away about three years ago? Let us know below in the comments !