Will Smith to Star as the Genie in Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Reboot
During the bi-annual D23 Expo this past weekend (July 14-16) in Anaheim, Calif., Disney announced the actors who've been cast in the three major leads for the forthcoming live-action Aladdin remake. According to Variety, Director Guy Ritchie and producers chose Will Smith to play the Genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, and rising star Mena Massoud to appear as Aladdin after what they saw to be a grueling process when it came to casting the title character.
The last time Will Smith has starred in a children's film was 2004's Shark Tale, so it'll be a sight to see him in the kiddie remake of 1992's highest-grossing motion picture of the year. Aladdin won big at the Academy Awards in 1993, with Alan Menken taking home the gold for Best Original Music Score.
When he's not resembling his late TV relative Uncle Phil, the film and hip-hop star—whose starred in over two dozen movies in his lifetime—is preparing to debut in his first Netflix role with Bright, a fantasy-action flick due to premiere in December.
In April, Smith made headlines after cutting off his son Jaden's dreadlocks for an upcoming movie role, captioning the Facebook photos with “Getting Jaden Smith ready for the first day of filming #LifeInAYear…maybe I should’ve used scissors?!” Jaden, whose become both a rapper and actor like his father (and just did a deal with Roc Nation), has been seen shooting for Life in a Year alongside model Cara Delevingne in recent months, though there's no word on when the film will be released in theaters.
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