Why 2019 is a Big Year for Will Smith

Some movie-goers may fondly remember Will Smith’s roles in classics like Independence Day and Men in Black, but he’s still picking up starring roles every year. Like many A-listers, his star power hasn’t faded with age – and he still has the same charisma that won him fans on The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. He has even helped launch his children, Willow and Jaden, into successful creative careers of their own.

Recently, Smith has been returning to the same sorts of action films that made him a star in the first place. He’s also been dabbling in kids’ movies, though, which is a perfect fit for his hilarious one-liners. 2018 has kept him busy, and 2019 promises to keep him in the spotlight. Here’s a preview of what to expect.

Disney’s been racking up the box-office dollars thanks to its remakes of classic films, many of which hold significant star power. With the tragic death of Robin Williams, though, Disney was faced with a tough dilemma: who could provide the voice of Genie in a remake of Aladdin?

Will Smith was a natural choice for this role, and he’ll hopefully be just as good as Williams was. Since Aladdin is already in post-production, we hopefully won’t have to wait much longer to see if this remake is as good as Beauty and the Beast. Aladdin is slated for a May 24, 2019 release in the United States, and while its budget hasn’t been disclosed yet, the teaser trailer has already revealed a visual treat.

Smith gets a starring role in this science fiction film that was originally conceived by Disney in 1997. Luckily, the concept was tabled, since the visual effects technology at the time would have been woefully insufficient. Now Gemini Man is being brought to life by Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media, with Ang Lee as director.

Smith plays an assassin who has to face a younger clone of himself. Not much else is known about the plot, but filming has occurred in Budapest, Hungary and Cartagena, Colombia. Fans are hoping for a thrilling international adventure story, and since Mary Elizabeth Winstead has also been cast in the film, perhaps there will be a romance subplot as well.

The U.S. release date for Gemini Man is currently set for October 4, 2019. Hopefully no major delays occur as the crew works to make Smith’s “clone” as convincing as possible.

Spies in Disguise features Smith as the voice of Lance Sterling, a super spy who gets turned into a pigeon. If anyone can pull off a role like that, it’s Will Smith! This Blue Sky Studios kids' movie co-stars Tom Holland and Rashida Jones, providing extra name recognition. A trailer has already been unveiled, meaning that the hype around this film will likely continue for months.

Spies in Disguise will be in U.S. movie theaters on September 13, 2019, meaning that it’ll miss the summer movie season and might get lost in the back-to-school shuffle. Here’s hoping the film gets a box-office boost from Smith’s star power.

In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence starred in Bad Boys, an action comedy that drew mixed reviews due to its plot being overwhelmed by action. Critics agreed, though, that Smith and Lawrence had incredible on-screen chemistry, partly thanks to some lines that the pair were allowed to improvise. Unfortunately, the sequel released in 2003 received negative reviews from most critics, once again due to plot issues and poor writing.

Now that a third installment has been announced, fans of Smith’s are cautiously optimistic that the franchise could improve. It helps that Michael Bay isn’t directing this time around. It’s too early to tell what the plot will be, since the movie is still in pre-production, but filming will reportedly start in early 2019 with a release date slated for January 17, 2020. Fans have already waited 15 years; surely they can wait another year or so.

Though Suicide Squad 2 isn’t even in pre-production yet, preparations for the film could end up on Smith’s schedule by early 2019. Smith isn’t headlining the film, but since little has been revealed about the film’s plot, his role as Deadshot could end up gaining him a lot of screen time. Smith has also confirmed that he is in talks for a possible Deadshot spinoff film, which would surely be a hit with fans.

Ultimately, the now 50-year-old Smith still has plenty of energy left in him, and his enthusiasm for acting keeps him popular with fans. Producers will keep signing him on as long as he’s still able to fulfill the demands of action-adventure roles that moviegoers are used to.