Guy Ritchie has reportedly found his evil vizier for the live action version of Aladdin: the Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari, who has appeared in small roles in Ben-Hur and The Mummy and is a part of the upcoming Murder on the Orient Express reboot.
“If a deal makes, Kenzari will play Jafar, the vizier to the sultan of the city who wants to use the genie for his own nefarious plan of taking power,” said a report in The Hollywood Reporter. “The character is in the pantheon of the most recognizable Disney villains and was voiced by Jonathan Freeman in the animated movie.”
The report added that Saturday Night Live comedienne Nasim Pedrad has “landed a role created specifically for the new movie” – the friend of princess Jasmine, played by the half-Indian half-British Naomi Scott. Mena Massoud has been cast as Aladdin, while Will Smith will play the rambunctious genie.
The remake of the 1992 Disney’s 1992 animated production is set in “Agrabah, a fictional cosmopolitan city inspired by locations and cultures from the Middle East to India and China”, the report said. The screenplay is by longtime Tim Burton collaborator John August (Big Fish, Frankenweenie).
Among Kenzari’s credits is the action thriller What Happened to Monday, in which Noomi Rapace plays seven roles.
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