Following a series of box office flops and disappointments, Will Smith gave a huge hit with Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin in 2019. Disney took no time to announce that the movie would also get a sequel. But after the whole Oscar fiasco involving the Genie actor, the audience was quite confused if he is returning or not. Answering that, the director of the movie Guy Ritchie stated his views that he is still on good terms with the Bad Boys fame.
The infamous Oscar incident when Will Smith stormed up the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock attracted a lot of eyeballs worldwide. The Internet was divided and the actor faced intense backlash resulting in many of his projects going into a state of limbo.
Guy Ritchie doesn’t have any problem with Will Smith
Despite the criticism of the CGI and special effects, the performances of the entire cast of Aladdin were appreciated. The moviegoers loved Will Smith‘s iteration of Genie and many were in doubt whether the actor would be considered for the sequel or not. Confirming that the Sherlock Holmes director revealed that he doesn’t have any issue with Smith.
According to Guy Ritchie, he had a wonderful experience with the 54 years old actor and would hate to not work with him again. Above that, it can be surprising to many of those who were against Will Smith’s behavior, but Ritchie praised him by calling him a gentleman.
“I’ve never met a more lovely man, and working with him was one of the most wonderful, great experiences I’ve ever had. I never saw anything other than the consummate, generous gentleman. I wouldn’t have any issue casting Will Smith in anything, because, as I say, he was just the f—ng perfect gentleman.”
The final call will be upon Disney if they want to recast the role or continues with the portrayal of Smith. As of now, the movie is in the very early stages of development, and both Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are expected to return.
Will Smith is still in search of a good comeback
The Oscars 2021 had an extremely shocking moment when the Fresh Prince actor went on the stage and slapped Chris Rock over a joke that was addressed to his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The Men in Black actor then yelled and warned him to not say anything about his wife. Although many fans were in support of Smith, a large section was also against him.
Eventually, he was banned from every Academy function including the Oscars for 10 years. Many of his projects are also in a state of hold. On top of it, his latest release Emancipation which hit selected theaters before entering Apple TV+ also garnered mixed to negative reviews. Now it will be seen how Will Smith finds his ideal comeback project and fix his reputation in the Industry.
Aladdin is streaming on Disney+ while Emancipation will arrive on Apple TV+ on December 9, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
