Will Smith in Talks to Play Genie in Live-Action 'Aladdin'

Smith was previously in talks with Tim Burton about the live-action Dumbo movie, but that deal never materialized due to scheduling. Smith had been trying to juggle that project and Bad Boys 3 but with Bad Boys 3 now off the table, temporarily, due to a loss of a director, Smith may have more wiggle room in that department. Smith remains a high-salary player so a deal is far from a sure thing.

Dan Lin, who was a producer on the Sherlock Holmes movies for Warner Bros., is producing what Disney says will be an ambitious and nontraditional take on Aladdin via his Lin Pictures banner. Jonathan Eirich will executive produce the movie and oversee it for Lin Pictures. 

If the deal make, Smith's casting would be the first big role filled for the Ritchie film, which is currently in a worldwide casting search for its two leads.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.