According to multiple reports, Will Smith is in talks to voice the Genie in Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, which is being directed by the talented Guy Ritchie.
Most of you will remember that the late (and great!) Robin Williams voiced the role in the original 1992 classic. The move would make sense for Smith. He’s been wanting to land a family-friendly film for a while now after his recent string of adult dramas and big action films.
He was circling one of the lead roles in ‘Dumbo,‘ but he walked away because of scheduling conflicts.
If he gets the role, Smith will probably be the biggest name in the movie. The studio plans to cast newcomers as Jasmine and Aladdin.
We have high hopes for this movie. As mentioned above, Guy Ritchie will be directing it, and the wonderful John August wrote the script for it. August is the screenwriter behind Big Fish and Frankenweenie. He also co-hosts the Scriptnotes podcast with fellow screenwriter Craig Mazin.
We’ll see if this updated version of Aladdin can match the success of the 1992 film. It was the highest-grossing film of the year in 1992, and won two Academy Awards.