Rumor: Guy Ritchie looking at Tom Hardy for Jafar in Aladdin

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Getting the right actor to take on any role is never an easy task, especially when the role already has an established legacy behind it. Such is the case with the villain of Disney’s ALADDIN – Jafar – who stands as one the most notable baddies in their animated canon. But the director of the live-action remake – Guy Ritchie – apparently has the perfect actor in mind to play the dastardly sorcerer.

According to a report by the U.K.’s The Sun, Ritchie is supposedly very interested in hiring actor Tom Hardy to play the main baddie in his reimagining of the beloved classic. Though nothing official has yet to come of it, sources say Hardy is one of the director’s top choices:

Guy is a huge fan of Tom’s work and securing him would be a major coup. There have been conversations and, although nothing is set in stone and things are subject to change, he’s certainly one of Guy’s favoured choices. It just depends on schedules whether he’ll be able to sign up.

Now this should be taken with a grain of sand, as most news like this should. Hardy is obviously a gifted actor, and he should be on any list for possible candidates to play any part in any movie. He can do anything! But there are probably other names on the list of possible actors, and Hardy is likely one of a few “favoured” choices. Plus, Hardy just signed on to play Venom in the new movie from Sony, and it's in there where there may be some scheduling conflicts.

But Hardy’s casting is not a hard thing to picture at all. The actor has starred in several franchise films, like STAR TREK: NEMESIS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, was almost in SUICIDE SQUAD before dropping out, as well as the aforementioned VENOM movie. Him being interested in a villain role for a big movie like this is well within the realm of possibility, especially given the opportunity to work with a fellow Englishman like Ritchie.

However, I’m not putting a ton of stock into Hardy’s official casting in this role, not because I can’t see him taking on another bad guy role in a blockbuster, but because I can’t see him doing one in a children’s musical. Being the intense actor he is he could easily be too frightening for children (even if it would be awesome for adults to see), and I can't see him compromising any kind of creative styles just to be in big movie. Until more word comes this is just a rumor, and just a fun notion to toy with. But I will say I want more than anything to see Hardy paling around with a parrot sidekick.

Guy Ritchie's KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD is in theaters now.