Marwan Kenzari is best known for his role as the villain Jafar in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin. Now, the Dutch-Tunisian actor his having his DC Comics debut in the antihero action film Black Adam.
The up-and-coming film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It also boasts big up-and-coming names like Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell. Kenzari will also appear alongside Palestinian-American stand-up comedian Mo Amer and Spanish-Iranian The L-Word star Sarah Shahi.
Black Adam started filming in April of this year and is set to premiere on July 29, 2022 in the United States.
Marwan Kenzari scores big roles in international films
A classically trained stage actor, Kenzari started performing in Dutch film and TV in 2008. He won a Golden Calf award for Best Actor at the 2013 Netherlands Film Festival for his role as a kickboxer in the Dutch action-drama Wolf.
The same year, Kenzari was featured on the cover of the Dutch Men’s Health magazine. American media company Variety named him an “International Star You Should Know.” In 2014, Kenzari won a Shooting Stars award for promising actors at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Kenzari’s rise to American fame came soon after, in 2016. He debuted in three English-language films: the German-American Collide, an adaptation of the historical drama Ben-Hur, and the epic The Promise. The Hollywood Reporter then named him among their “15 International Breakout Talents of 2016.”
In 2017 alone, Kenzari appeared in three movies including Murder on the Orient Express. The next year he starred as an Egyptian spy and billionaire in the Israeli-American Netflix thriller The Angel. In 2019, Kenzari played Jafar in Disney’s live-action Aladdin and starred in the Dutch drama Instinct. Finally, he played a protagonist and part of a romantic duo with Luca Marinelli in the 2020 action film The Old Guard.
Teenaged Marwan Kenzari discovers acting
Kenzari was born in 1983 in The Hague, Netherlands, while his parents had emigrated from Tunisia in the 1970s. His father worked in construction while his mother stayed at home. The international actor speaks Dutch, English, French, and Arabic.
Kenzari fell in love with acting as a teenager, after his then-girlfriend signed them up to audition for a Dutch rendition of Chicago. In 2009, Kenzari graduated from the Netherlands college Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts.
“In theater school, I felt I needed to step my game up,” Kenzari shared in an interview. “I come from a poor neighborhood in the Hague. I’m proud of it, but other [students’] parents were educated and literate. I needed to catch up. I read Capote and Philip Roth in English, and I watched Jacques Audiard movies and wanted to be in them. How can I be in them? You start with learning French. It’s just being curious and disciplined.”
After theatre school, Kenzari was picked up by the touring repertory company Toneelgroep Amsterdam. The group then took him to perform around the globe in cities including Moscow, London, and New York City.
Marwan Kenzari expected to appear as a Villain in Black Adam
Black Adam is a spin-off portraying the villain of the 2019 film Shazam! Kenzari’s role, among others including Netflix comedian Mo Amer, has yet to be officially disclosed. Nevertheless, the rumor mill hypothesizes that he will play Sabbac, the villain to Dwayne Johnson’s antihero.
“I want to keep working on projects that give me something imaginative, creative authentic. Cinema is a beautiful way of storytelling. I hope to keep being part of beautiful projects. There are so many great stories to tell,” says Kenzari.
The antihero film takes place in the ancient fictional kingdom of Kahndaq. Black Adam is the archnemesis of Shazam, a superhero also known by the name Captain Marvel. The upcoming movie features Black Adam before the character’s downfall and superhero rivalry in the DC Comics timeline.
The DC team Justice Scoiety will feature Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone. Sarah Shahi will play a freedom fighter and university professor.
Learn more about Black Adam and Kenzari’s anticipated role here.
