Disney has officially found its Will Smith replacement by revealing the new actor for Aladdin's Genie in a new report. The Genie is perhaps the most iconic character in Disney's Aladdin franchise. The character has been voiced by the legendary Robin Williams in 1992's Aladdin and Dan Castallaneta in 1994's The Return of Jafar. In 2019, Will Smith brought the Genie to life in the live-action remake, making the role his own while also paying tribute to the late Robin Williams. Now, a new actor has been cast as the legendary wish maker in an unexpected Disney movie.
Deadline shared in a report that James Monroe Iglehart will portray the Genie from Aladdin in Disney's upcoming Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story. This isn't the first time that Iglehart will play the Genie as he originated the role in the Broadway Aladdin musical and won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for it.
Casting Iglehart as the Genie in another live-action movie Disney positions him as Will Smith's replacement, making him the natural successor to the role because the actor's big screen portrayal was the last major movie appearance of the character.
Set to release in 2027, Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story is an expansion of the Descendants universe, focusing on the children of iconic Disney sidekicks training at a secret Sidekick Academy.
Joining Iglehart in the cast includes Dior Goodjohn as Jennie (the Genie's daughter), Darren Criss as Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio), Sherry Cola as Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove), Hugo Ateo as Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove), Sean Yves Lessard as Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast), and Dan Bakkedahl as Yen Sid (Fantasia's The Sorcerer's Apprentice).
In July 2025, a report from The DisInsider claimed that a follow-up to Aladdin (along with Maleficent 3 and Jungle Book 2) was shelved by Disney. Aladdin 2 would've brought back Will Smith's Genie in live-action, but no details have emerged since then. It's possible that the 2019 remake was the last time that Smith would portray Genie in live-action, meaning that Iglehart's casting would mark a new era for the Aladdin franchise.
Why James Monroe Iglehart Is the Perfect Will Smith Replacement for Genie
James Monroe Iglehart's inclusion as Genie in Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story places a high-profile performer back in the role for a new generation of viewers, continuing the legacy that began with Robin Williams and continued with Will Smith.
While Will Smith delivered a charismatic take on Genie in the 2019 remake, Iglehart steps in as an ideal successor, mainly because he managed to make the role his own during Disney's Broadway Aladdin. Iglehart's version of Genie was highly energetic and embraced a more musically-inclined iteration, which is far different from Smith's cooler and hip-hop-adjacent version from the live-action remake.
Iglehart's return to the role of Genie is exciting, not just for Broadway fans, but for also newcomers who will get to see his iteration in Hidden Heroes. The actor already owns the songs, knows how to embrace improvisation at the perfect moment, and the emotional heart of a freed genie who just wants friendship and belonging.
An interesting facet for the Genie's return is his new dynamic with his daughter in Hidden Heroes. It will be exciting to see a version of the Genie as a loving and genuinely caring father, making Iglehart's character distinct from past portrayals. While Aladdin showed a glimpse of Will Smith's Genie having children in the end, Hidden Heroes gives the relationship an expansive platform.
