Disney has been making some serious moves lately. In addition to the possible merger between the House of Mouse and Fox, Disney is also regularly producing live-action remakes of its classic animated features. Blockbusters like Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book have made tons of money at the box office, bridging the gap between generations of Disney fans. They're showing no signs of slowing, so tons of A-list talent is eager to get involved in future live-action adaptations. And according to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle's Jack Black, he thinks that his co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would be perfect to play a certain blue genie. He recently told The Rock (and myself) this, saying:
You'd be a rad genie from Aladdin.
Jack Black has gotten some Disney magic to do, and he thinks the behemoth former wrestler is perfect choice to play Aladdin's magical helper The Genie. There's just one problem: there's already a live-action Genie coming to theaters soon.
While speaking with the cast of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in Hawaii, I asked to the trio of The Rock, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black about Robin Williams' legacy. Eventually I inquired as to which other classic Robin William movies they'd like to tackle. And while Kevin Hart seems ready to play within the world of Mrs. Doubtfire, Jack Black thinks that Dwayne Johnson belongs within a magical lamp. Because who doesn't want to see the big guy covered in blue?
The Rock certainly seems like he's got the chops to play a great Genie in Aladdin. While he might not be able to rattle off impressions like Robin Williams, he's got a history with family friendly movies, and recently ventured into voice acting and singing. His performance as Maui in Disney's Moana was acclaimed, as well as his vocal performance in "You're Welcome".
There's just one problem: the role of The Genie has already been cast in Disney's live-action Aladdin. It will be played by Will Smith, who is another great choice for the role of the blue guy. So while Jack Black and The Rock may be agreed that he'd kill it in a rendition of "Friend Like Me", it's not going to happen anytime soon.
You can check out my conversation with the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle trio below, complete with Kevin Hart's heckling of his co-star, and my reference to Aladdin's hat of choice.
From that interview alone, you can see why that trio of actors needs to get together soon. Their chemistry is just off the charts.
You can catch Jack Black, The Rock, and the rest of the cast of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle starting on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
