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'Aladdin' fans disconcerted by Will Smith’s Genie in new teaser
A new "Aladdin" teaser revealed the look of Will Smith's Genie in blue and some fans are not happy about it.
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D
isney debuted a new teaser for the live action version of Aladdin during Sunday’s Grammy Awards, giving the audience a glimpse at the much-anticipated film.
Fans were quick to take to social media after Will Smith appeared as the blue Genie character in director Guy Ritchie’s latest Disney film, BBC reported.
“It turns out that Will Smith’s Aladdin Genie will haunt my nightmares,” tweeted @rebeccaiannucci.
It turns out that Will Smith’s #Aladdin Genie will haunt my nightmares
— Rebecca Iannucci (@rebeccaiannucci) February 11, 2019
User @alexandergold tweeted, “No one told me #Aladdin was one of the Avatar sequels. Nothing prepared me for blue genie Will Smith.”
No one told me #Aladdin was one of the ‘Avatar’ sequels.
Nothing prepared me for blue genie Will Smith. pic.twitter.com/bggXSvwKkr
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) February 11, 2019
User @pink_nylon said, “The genie should have looked like THE GENIE!!! Not Will Smith as a blueberry!!!”.
The genie should have looked like THE GENIE!!!! Not Will Smith as a blueberry!!! pic.twitter.com/mMMDW5in7z
— Miss b (@pink_nylon) February 11, 2019
Read also: Will Smith promises he will be blue in Disney’s ‘Aladdin’
The teaser, which began with Aladdin approaching the Cave of Wonders in search of the lamp, aired for the first time midway through the awards.
For Smith, criticism of his role in the film was already anticipated, as he admitted the first-released images by Disney were "always terrifying" whenever "you’re doing things that are iconic".
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine, the actor said he had tapped into his roles from Bad Boys movies and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air television series to shape his Genie.
In the lead up to the trailer debut, Ritchie teased that he wanted the blue immortal to look like a "muscular 1970’s dad".
He added: "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.”
In December, Entertainment Weekly released the first photos of the film and fans responded that Will Smith did not resemble the Genie character (voiced by Robin Williams) in the 1992 Aladdin film, as he was seen with his natural skin and not blue-colored.
The live action Aladdin film is set to be released in May. Main characters Aladdin and Jasmine are played by Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott. (geo/wng)
