Controversially, Will Smith would play the Genie in the Guy Ritchie-directed live-action Aladdin, taking over from the late Williams. Still, Robin Williams' deal with Disney makes his iconic role as the Genie in the original Aladdin even better, even if Disney broke their agreement.
James Monroe Iglehart (born September 4, 1974) is an American actor and comic book writer. He is perhaps best known for his Tony Award-winning performance as the Genie in the original Broadway production of Aladdin.
The Genie's role was initially meant to be smaller in the 1992 movie. After Williams entered a recording booth, that changed. During the sessions, he recorded close to 30 hours of dialogue, both of which were written in the script and improvised.
During an appearance on The Today Show, Williams stated that the company had "crossed the line" and broken the deal by using his voice to sell merchandise for the movie in advertisements. As such, Williams did not return in Aladdin's sequel, The Return of Jafar, released in 1994.
Will Smith Used His 'Fresh Prince' Persona as Inspiration for Genie in 'Aladdin'
Did Jim Carrey like Robin Williams?
But Carrey shut down rumors that there was ever a feud between the actors, and even spoke of Williams' kindness to him, Carrey would later go on to deny Radar Online's claim that there was a true conflict between him and Williams, telling Cinemablend: What is this?
The Disney Hyperion book, Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film, lists both of Williams's characters, "the Peddler" and "the Genie", ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him as only "the actor signed to play the Genie".
The Genie is a fictional character who appearing in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992), later appearing in other media of the Aladdin franchise as one of its main characters, as well as several other Disney media. He was voiced by Robin Williams in the first film.
First, Amy Poehler was considered for the role of Rapunzel in Tangled before Mandy Moore was cast. In fact, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Idina Menzel, and Kristen Bell all auditioned for Rapunzel.
Why didn t Robin Williams play Genie in Aladdin 2?
Robin Williams was not a part of this movie due to a disagreement with Disney (see trivia for Aladdin (1992). Originally, Jafar was going to turn into a giant cobra snake like in the first Aladdin (1992), but the idea was scrapped, since the producers wanted a different sort of showdown.
Ajed Al-Gebraic is Genie's old master, who is very greedy. He used up all his three wishes and sold Genie to a Sorcerer for eternal life, but not eternal youth.
The dispute between the actor and Disney stemmed from the latter apparently breaching an agreement between the two parties that meant Disney could not use Williams or his voice to merchandise and market products for Aladdin.
By choosing this colour, the creators of Disney's Aladdin hoped to make the character memorable and beloved in the history of animation. The colour blue helped the genie stand out on the screen and it quickly become a fan favourite.
Aladdin (2019) Genie appears in the 2019 live-action adaptation of Aladdin, the Genie is portrayed by Will Smith, with his appearance alternating between his classic blue-skin and a human form of African ancestry as a disguise to blend in.
To many fans, however, Williams is best known as the voice of the Genie in the Disney animated classic Aladdin. The actor broke barriers with his no-holds-barred performance, helping the film to become a huge success. And he improvised hours of comedic material in the process.
Who is the better Genie, Robin Williams or Will Smith?
Smith really gives it a fair go, though, adding his own unique charisma, flair and style to the live-action role, but, ultimately, Williams remains the golden -- or, rather, the blue -- standard when it comes to the granter of wishes.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Smith was paid $12.5 million upfront and earned the rest (and then some) through back-end points on box office grosses; the live-action adaptation grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Did Robin Williams improvise his lines in Aladdin?
During the course of recording the voices, the late Robin Williams improvised so much they had almost sixteen hours of material. Because Robin Williams ad-libbed so many of his lines, the script was rejected for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination.
“If you know me, you know how much I like to laugh. And no one made me laugh like Robin… He was a wonderful actor, sure, but those feelings were real. No one could fake that kind of love and compassion.
Ever the versatile operator who was quick to think on his feet despite the slight mental impairment, Jack Nicholson called upon his dear friend, Robin Williams – who was also the only nominee to come up empty-handed.
