According to new reports, Will Smith is coming back to Disney. The Sun reports that Smith will return as the Genie in Aladdin 2, the sequel that's been slowly inching through its early development stages since the previous film was released in 2019. The report specifically notes that Smith's Genie will play an "even bigger part" in the sequel than in the 2019 movie. If this new information is accurate, it would mark the first casting for Smith since the "Oscars slap" incident happened last year, though there have also been reports that Bad Boys 4 is still planned to happen as well.

There had been speculation that Smith's casting as the Genie could be affected by the actor's Oscars scandal, which saw him getting banned from the Academy for ten years after slapping and screaming obscenities at Chris Rock on live television last year. However, while Smith has certainly lost some fans over the incident, there doesn't seem to be quite as much heat against him now as there had been in the immediate aftermath. Apple moved forward with the release of his film Emancipation in December following several public apologies from Smith about the whole situation.

“He has done a lot of work on himself and the consensus is that it will all be very much in the past by the time the movie is released," one unnamed movie insider is quoted as saying in The Sun's report. "The first film was a huge success so it would be silly not to make another, and it would be a real shame to have to re-cast Will over what happened. So Disney is keen to stand by him and bring him back into the fold.”

Director Guy Ritchie also recently said he wanted to bring back Smith for the sequel. In December, he noted in a THR interview that despite the actor's mishap at the Oscars, Ritchie knows Smith to be a "generous gentleman" whom he'd love to invite back for Aladdin 2.

“I’ve never met a more lovely man, and working with him was one of the most wonderful, great experiences I’ve ever had," Ritchie said. "I never saw anything other than the consummate, generous gentleman.”

He added, “I wouldn’t have any issue casting Will Smith in anything, because, as I say, he was just the f---ing perfect gentleman.”

Related: Golden Globes: Eddie Murphy References Will Smith Slap During Speech

Aladdin 2 Moves Forward

New Aladdin Trailer Puts Will Smith's Genie on Full Display

The first live-action Aladdin film was directed by Guy Ritchie, who penned the script with John August. Along with Smith as the Genie, the film starred Mena Massoud in the titular role, with other cast members including Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen. The film was a tremendous hit at the box office, banking more than a billion dollars worldwide and quickly leading to news that a sequel was in the works, though progress on the follow-up has been a bit slow since then.

A release date has not yet been set for Aladdin 2.