Here’s A First Look At Will Smith As Genie In The Upcoming ‘Aladdin’ Film [PIC]
Disney has released the first look at the cast for their new ‘Aladdin’ movie, including Will Smith and his portrayal as the Genie.
By NathanG on December 19, 2018
Disney has just released its first look of Will Smith as the Genie in the upcoming Aladdin movie.
According to Yahoo, Smith and his costars, Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud, appear together on the newest Entertainment Weekly. Smith is seen in his full genie attire, complete with beaded jacket, jewelry, and long goatee and ponytail.
While the fan reactions have been generally positive, some have expressed concern that Smith is not seen as blue like the original animated film. In an interview with EW, however, director Guy Ritchie explained that Smith’s final blue version with floating lamp is not yet finished. When describing what the final form might look like, Ritchie said: “I wanted a muscular 1970s dad. He was big enough to feel like a force — not so muscular that he looked like he was counting his calories, but formidable enough to look like you knew when he was in the room.”
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Smith will reportedly be channeling his classic charming persona from past roles, such as Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hitch. Smith said that his portrayal of Genie will be a new take on the character. “I think it’ll stand out as unique even in the Disney world,” he said. “There hasn’t been a lot of that hip-hop flavor in Disney history.”
When asked how his portrayal of the classic character will definitely draw comparisons to Robin Williams’ iconic performance, Smith shared his thought process. “I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different,” he said. “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.”
What do you think of these first looks at the classic character? Are you excited for this upcoming re-imagining of the classic Disney movie?
To read more about Will Smith and his upcoming role, click here.