Will Smith’s version of the Genie in his ‘Aladdin’ remake will pay "homage" to the late Robin Williams.
The 50-year-old actor has assumed the role of the Genie in the upcoming live-action film, and Will has admitted he initially found playing the character – who Williams voiced in the 1992 ‘Aladdin’ movie – to be a daunting prospect.
He confessed: "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."
But, over time, Will developed a confidence that he could deliver something that was a homage to Williams but was also musically different.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Will added: "Just the flavour of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete."
The upcoming film also stars the likes of Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud.
And according to Will, working on the Guy Ritchie-directed project was "one of the greatest film-making experiences" of his career.
He said: "I have worked at most of the studios, and Disney just knows what they are doing.
"It was really a spectacular team of people that came together around a classic story. It’s so spectacular, it’s such a beautiful movie and I can’t wait for people to see it."
Will Smith says Aladdin will pay homage to Robin Williams
