Trailer Reveals How Smith’s Character Will Look Like When The Visual Effect Work Is Completed In Disney’s Upcoming Live-Action Movie. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the studio’s live-action remake of “Aladdin” is based on the 1992 animated classic. The upcoming pic stars Smith as the Genie, Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari as the evil Jafar.
You ain’t never had a friend like Will Smith’s Genie. That unless you have a pal who can turn you into a prince. In the first full-length trailer for Disney’s “Aladdin,” Mena Massoud’s street urchin uses one of his three wishes from the Genie’s magic lamp to become royalty.
Before granting his request, Smith’s Genie tells Aladdin to be more specific. “There’s a lot of gray area in ‘Make me a prince,’” Genie jokes. Later in the clip, Genie tells Aladdin, “You look like a prince on the outside, but I didn’t change anything on the inside.”
Disney dropped the official trailer for the upcoming live-action version of “Aladdin,” and it’s a whole new world for fans of the 1992 animated version of the film.
Will Smith as Genie
Smith easily has the toughest job of any actor in this live-action remake. He has to find some way to make his own mark on a character who was so completely defined by the voice and personality of the late Robin Williams. If they weren’t already, fans are now questioning whether it’s even possible for another actor to take over the role. We’ll have to see the finished film before we truly know the answer, but for now, it’s clear that Smith has his work cut out for him.
Judging by the new trailer, it does look like Disney is making Smith’s Genie look like the Robin Williams version at least part of the time, so at the very least they should avoid making them act too much alike.
There’s no point in having Smith try to match the hyperactive quality of Williams’ comedy. Smith is a great actor with plenty of charisma. But he’s also a more deliberate performer. He knows how to hold the audience’s attention with a good one-liner and a dash of swagger. So, that’s what we want to see from this new Genie.
Will the story remain the same?
Though the live-action Aladdin is not yet released, we do know that the plot of Aladdin is expected to be nearly identical to the animated feature. Basically, Jafar confronts Aladdin — a “street rat” in Agrabah and entices him to enter the Cave of Wonders to get him the magic lamp. However, Jafar doesn’t realize how clever and crafty Aladdin is. He takes off with the lamp for himself and uses the Genie and his three wishes to woo Princess Jasmine.
However, the reactions to the trailer have not been so positive. People took to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to voice their opinions, share jokes and make memes about the movie. Some hated Jafar’s voice, others thought the Visual FX was the worst quality.
Disney has a number of live-action adaptations in the works this year, such as Tim Burton’s “Dumbo” and Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King.” In 2018, the studio released “Mary Poppins Returns,” a sequel to the 1964 musical fantasy starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. It generated $347 million at the global box office.
“Aladdin” hits theaters on May 24. Watch the trailer:
