Ragesh Dipu
Marwan Kenzari, who plays the villainous Jafar in Disney’s ‘Aladdin,’ has joined Charlize Theron in the upcoming action thriller ‘The Old Guard.’ The movie is an adaptation of the comic book series created by writer Greg Rucka and artist Leandro Fernandez, reports THR. Skydance produces the thriller which also features Kiki Layne in an important role.
‘The Old Guard’ is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who is known for ‘Beyond the Lights.’ The plot revolves around a small group of soldiers, led by Andy (played by Theron). The group is known as immortal warriors who have been working as mercenaries since ancient times.
But the group discovers a new immortal who is a black woman Marine. To make things more complex, a covert organization exposes their every move by recording them with multiple cameras.
The threats are nothing new for the group members. The leader Andy has been alive since ancient Greek civilization. During the Crusades, two members of the group found themselves fighting each other on opposing sides. They have lived through many battles in history. Several men tried in the past to steal the secret of immortality from the group but in vain. But things are not as heroic as it seems on the history books for the team members in ‘The Old Guard.’
According to THR, Kenzari plays the role of a group member, who once served the Moors and fought many battles for his patrons. No other details of his character have been revealed yet.
Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger produce the movie along with Marc Evans, Theron, Beth Kono, and AJ DIx. Stan Wlodkowski and Rucka serve as executive producers. Matt Grimm is overseeing the project with Granger.
The Dutch-born actor Kenzari is known for his previous roles in ‘The Mummy,’ ‘ ‘What Happened to Monday’ and ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’ He emerged as a breakout star with Disney’s ‘Aladdin‘ remake. The actor plays the antagonist Jafar, who is an adviser to the sultan of the Kingdom of Agrabah.
Kenzari spent years studying theater in the Netherlands before shifting his focus into film roles. His first breakthrough role was in the 2013 Dutch action flick ‘Wolf.’ His performance in the movie helped him to capture a spot in Variety’s “International Star You Should Know” list. The success of the movie led him to Hollywood where he started with minor roles.
In 2017, he played an important role in ‘The Mummy’ along with Tom Cruise as well as ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ with Kenneth Branagh and Daisy Ridley.
In ‘Aladdin,’ which opened to a promising $112.7M in the Memorial Day weekend, the actor is seen chasing the blue-skinned genie (played by Will Smith).
Cover Image Courtesy: Disney
