its been over a week since Disney’s bi-annual D23 Expo and the official announcement of the live action Aladdin. Unkown Mena Massoud was cast as the title character, Power Rangers star Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, as well as a confirmation of Will Smith taking on the iconic role of the Genie. Now the big question fans want to know is who will take on the role of the villainous Jafar? Here are 5 actors that i think could take on the role.
5. Dev Patel
Yes the actor was already in contention and passed on the lead role of Aladdin, but what the villain role? There probably wont be much singing and dancing involved in the role. So acting will be the key here. Patel has already proven himself as a great actor when you look at his roles in Slumdog Millionaire and last years critically acclaimed Lion (Which he was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film), He could bring a much needed dramatic role to a film that will be pretty heavy on the musical/comedic tone. Not to mention he may want to redeem himself as he played a villain in the flop The Last Airbender.
4. Cas Anvar
Jafar needs to be evil — like, really evil. He’s cunning, devious and absolutely doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Cas Anvar can be terrifying when he wants to be, especially in roles like that of Xerxes in Olympus. He took a character with many versions in TV and film and twisted it into a cunning, maniacal religious leader who manipulates people for his own gain every day. Sounds somewhat similar to the Sultan’s advisor who constantly manipulates the entire country, doesn’t it? Anvar can, without a doubt, take on the role of the terrifying Jafar.
3. Ben Kingsley
If Ben is in a movie, it’s automatically awesome. Knighted for his work as an actor, Kingsley has starred in films such as Ghandi (Where he played the title role), Schindler’s List, and Ender’s Game. He was just about the only good thing of Iron Man 3, and he’s garnered an Oscar, and multiple other awards in his career. Not only does he have the look of a regal, sinister Jafar, but his acting would be enough to where he could look like Anne Hathaway and still pull the role off. Now that we have our antagonist out of the way, let’s call in his boss, the Sultan!
2. Rami Malek
As the star of Mr. Robot, Malek knows a thing or two about being charismatic and also completely unsettling at the same time — a perfect combination for what would ostensibly be a story about Jafar’s rise to power. Malek has the perfect edge and terror in his acting to bring Jafar to life.
1. Riz Ahmed
Ahmed is another actor who passed on the title role of Aladdin. Riz Ahmed showed charisma in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which is essential to Jafar in the first act of Aladdin. In the mini series The Night Of Amed showed that he could play a charachter with mystery and vulnerability. He also has a musical background Aside from acting, he also rocks the mic as Riz MC with the hip-hop group Swet Shop Boys. If their is one film that i could reccomend that shows Ahmed’s true potential for Jafar check out 2015’s Nightcrawler.
Let me know what you think in the comments, and share this article on social media!
About Post Author
1 Comment