Will Smith is to reprise his role as the Genie in the “Aladdin” sequel. The 54-year-old star is being lined up by Disney to return for the live-action sequel in one of his first roles since he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars last year.
Despite memes about Will Smith’s appearance as The Genie, the 2019 Aladdin movie was a box office hit that made over a billion dollars at the box office. It is also Smith’s most successful movie to date, with a sequel in development at the House of Mouse. And according to a new report by The Sun, Smith is reportedly going to return for more magical mayhem in Aladdin 2.
This news hasn’t been officially confirmed by Disney, so we might want to take it with a grain of salt. Still, it’s hard to imagine an Aladdin movie without the Genie. And with Will Smith seemingly on the path of redemption after the last year, the timing would make sense for another family-friendly project like Aladdin 2. Hopefully the studio responds sooner rather than later. An anonymous source revealed the news to The Sun, claiming Smith will have an even bigger role in the developing sequel.
Some points were made. Recasting the Genie with another actor would likely be a bit of a PR nightmare for an Aladdin movie. And since Will Smith has already returned to the film world despite his ban from attending the Academy Awards, Disney presumably could welcome him back without worrying about potential backlash. Indeed, Smith has apologized a number of times over the last year, and seemingly put in a ton of work on himself.
A movie insider told “The Sun” newspaper’s Bizarre column: “This would be one of the first movies Will has shot since the Oscars slap and it is quite surprising, given that it will be for a kids’ film.
“He has done a lot of work on himself and the consensus is that it will all be very much in the past by the time the movie is released. The first film was a huge success so it would be silly not to make another, and it would be a real shame to have to re-cast Will over what happened.
Source: People
In other news – Former Child Star Lance Kerwin has died
The television industry has lost a lifelong talent. Lance Kerwin, who rose to stardom in the ’70s for shows such as Salem’s Lot and James at 15, died on Jan. 24, his agent John Boitano confirmed to E! News.
He was 62. No cause of death has been revealed. Learn more