Entertainment Weekly shared the first images from Disney’s upcoming live-action Aladdin film, and fans had a lot to say, especially about the Genie’s appearance.
In previous versions of Aladdin, the Genie is depicted as a large, blue entity that helps Aladdin earn his freedom and win over Princess Jasmine. But in the newly released pictures, he looks very different from what fans remember.
In the beloved 1992 version, Robin Williams voiced the Genie, and this time around Will Smith tackles the role. There’s only one problem for fans: he’s not blue.
I know Will Smith better be blue by the time this movie drops. Blue with a better ponytail. pic.twitter.com/eUOBw4GF0m
I’ve been saving this reaction photo for months for the Will Smith Genie reveal and now I’ve found out they won’t even be making him blue. You can’t rely on ANYONE pic.twitter.com/6rdAoDMUkc
But don’t worry fans: Smith has assured Aladdin fans that he is, in fact, blue for the majority of the movie. He also admitted to being a bit nervous about stepping into the role once held by the late Williams.
“Whenever you’re doing things that are iconic, it’s always terrifying,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
“The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin didn’t leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character,” Smith said of Williams, who died in 2014.
“I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different,” he explained. “Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete.”
We can’t wait to see it!
