Disney has given us our first look at Will Smith as Genie in the upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin.
With the trailer recently unveiled, Disney fans and Will Smith fans alike have been curious as to what the iconic award-winning actor will look like in his latest role. Disney has now shared a picture of Smith in full costume and we can’t believe how different he looks compared to how we imagined.
Speaking with EW, Smith said of his new role: “Whenever you’re doing things that are iconic, it’s always terrifying. 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 also expressed that he hoped to infuse his character into the genie as Robin did and pay homage to the late star as a result.
“I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different,” he admitted. “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.”
He then added: “I think it’ll stand out as unique even in the Disney world. There hasn’t been a lot of that hip-hop flavor in Disney history.”
The live-action remake of Aladin will be released in theatres May 24, 2019.
