The producer on Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, Dan Lin, was impressed by Will Smith’s interpretation of the Genie and how it differentiates from Robin Williams’ iconic performance in the animated film.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Lin spoke about the casting of Smith, and he couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance.
“I mean, we’re just so fortunate we got Will,” Lin said. “And it’s a role that is so complex because it requires singing and dancing, high expectations, it requires comedy, it requires drama. It really requires kind of the full skill set of an actor, and he pulled it off. And how he did that was he made it really personal. I think that’s the number one overarching theme that everyone brought the movie. They they made this movie by bringing their personality to it.
“And so Will Smith, if you look closely at the Genie, is influenced by what he did so well in Hitch and what he did so well with Fresh Prince. This is a hip hop genie and so it’s very specific to Will. No other actor could have done this the way he did, in the same way no other actor could have done the genie the way Robin Williams did. They are so iconic and so the way Will interpreted the Genie was to make an iconic character that only he can play that is very true to himself. And that’s what really excited us and allowed us to differentiate and stand out from the previous Aladdin movie.”
SEE ALSO: Disney considering a sequel to Aladdin
No one could ever come close to Robin Williams performance so the decision to make Smith’s Genie original and unique to him was certainly a wise move. What do you make of Smith as the Genie? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @flickeringmyth…
A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic, “Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future.
Aladdin is directed by Guy Ritchie (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) and features a cast that includes Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine), Will Smith (Genie), Marwan Kenzari (Jafar), Navid Negahban (The Sultan), Nasim Pedrad (Dalia), Billy Magnussen (Prince Anders), Numan Acar (Hakim), Alan Tudyk (Iago) and Frank Welker (Abu).
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