Will Smith is getting back to work, nearly a year after his infamous Oscar slap, which Eddie Murphy recently poked fun of at the Golden Globes.
The 54-year-old actor will reportedly return to portray the Genie in a sequel to Disney’s 2019 live-action adaptation of Aladdin, via The Sun.
NSEMGH.com has reached out to his reps for comment but have not heard back at this time.
Slap: Will Smith is getting back to work, nearly a year after his infamous Oscar slap, which Eddie Murphy recently poked fun of at the Golden Globes
Genie returns: The 54-year-old actor will reportedly return to portray the Genie in a sequel to Disney’s 2019 live-action adaptation of Aladdin, via The Sun
While Smith won his first Oscar for King Richard just minutes after the slap, his career has been at a standstill.
He resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and he is banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years.
While he did have projects in the works like another Bad Boys sequel and The Council, there have been no announcements for new roles since he slapped Chris Rock on live television on Oscar Sunday.
Oscar win: While Smith won his first Oscar for King Richard just minutes after the slap, his career has been at a standstill
Now he’s said to return as the Genie, with sources claiming he’ll have an even bigger role in the sequel than he did in the 2019 live-action adaptation.
‘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,’ the anonymous source said.
‘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 source added.
Bigger role: Now he’s said to return as the Genie, with sources claiming he’ll have an even bigger role in the sequel than he did in the 2019 live-action adaptation
‘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. So Disney is keen to stand by him and bring him back into the fold,’ the source added.
2019’s Aladdin was a huge hit, earning $355.5 million domestic and $1.054 billion worldwide from a $180 million budget.
The sequel was officially announced in February 2020 with new writers John Gatins (Flight) and Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton) writing the script.
Big hit: 2019’s Aladdin was a huge hit, earning $355.5 million domestic and $1.054 billion worldwide from a $180 million budget
Reports claimed that Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Smith would reprise their roles from the original though that was not confirmed.
When asked about the sequel last month, Massoud said, ‘There was a change with the writers, and they are working on a new draft.’
‘If Aladdin 2 happens, that’s fantastic. It should happen. It’s not going to be based off the animated version. This is going to be a new original story,’ he added.
Sequel: Reports claimed that Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Smith would reprise their roles from the original though that was not confirmed.
