We got a teaser trailer back in October, and now Entertainment Weekly has unveiled the first promotional images for director Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, which feature Mena Massoud’s titular street thief, Naomi Scott’s Princess Jasmine, and Will Smith’s Genie.
SEE ALSO: Original Aladdin screenwriter unhappy with Disney over live-action remake
Now, before you get too outraged over the Genie’s appearance, as Ritchie notes in EW’s article, the character will appear in his blue form at some point during the film, although the visual effects work is yet to be complete.
“The great thing about the role of the Genie is that it’s essentially a hyperbole for who that individual actor is, so it’s a wonderful platform and tapestry for an actor to fill his boots on,” states Ritchie. “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. I like the fact that our Genie has an ego and is a little bit vain and he cares about how he’s presented because he’s been doing this for a very long time.”
“I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different,” adds Smith with regards to his role. “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. 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.”
Aladdin is being 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) and Numan Acar (Hakim). It is set for release on May 24th 2019.
