A whole new world of delights will await fans when the House of Mouse tackles its next big screen transformation from cartoon to live action.
Fans, however, have been squeaking and even roaring their disapproval at the current reports that Will Smith is playing the beloved central character.
Industry site Deadline Hollywood revealed today that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star is “in talks” for the iconic role.
Aladdin is due to start filming in the UK in July, with Guy Ritchie directing, so the studio will be cutting it fine if they decide to start looking for anyone else.
The original 1992 animated classic was a huge smash, raking in over $ 504 million at the global box office.
With the latest Disney adaptation, Beauty and the Beast, already dancing past $ 1 billion earlier this month, Aladdin will be a major focus for the studio.
There was some fan resistance to the casting of Belle in that movie and Smith’s announcement has generated predominantly negative onsline comments.
One said: “Oh hell no, to this. Another said: “Hell no!” and was echoed by a further comment: ‘Nooooooooooo.”
It will be hard to imagine anyone stepping into Williams’s curly-toed shoes as the magical creature, but Trevor Dion Nocholas has had considerable success reinventing the character on the New York and London stage productions of Aladdin.
Smith already has a strong background in comedy but his music career was rap-based rather than vocals.
Furthermore, the shoot is expected to take at least six months, which may be far too long a commitment for the in-demand star.
It’s also not the first time the actor has been linked to a Disney live action reboot.
Deadline said: “Smith had previously been in talks with Tim Burton about Dumbo but that did not materialize and we’re told these talks are also early.”
Not all online comments were negative with one saying: I can actually imagine his voice as the Genie” and another adding: ” That’s actually not terrible.”
Even so, some fans will no doubt be using their three wishes to hope it never happens.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
