'Aladdin' TV Spot Finally Reveals Will Smith As The Big Blue Genie
When the first teaser trailer for Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin first arrived, fans were fairly underwhelmed. Not only did the teaser offer very little footage of Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, but it didn't give us a look at Will Smith as the genie in the famous lamp at the center of the story. Even when the first images of Will Smith in the movie arrived, he wasn't blue like the famed genie voiced by Robin Williams in the 1992 animated classic. But that changed today.
A surprise Aladdin TV spot that aired during the Grammys not only brought more footage, but it finally gave us a shot of Will Smith in all his blue glory. And, oh boy, it's certainly something to behold.
Aladdin TV Spot
The new Aladdin TV spot begins with more footage from outside the Cave of Wonders, including a much better glimpse at Marwan Kenzari as the villain Jafar. But we also get another look inside the cave as well, where all the treasures one could ever desire are scattered. There's even a shot of the cave exploding and falling apart after Aladdin's monkey Apu presumably touches one of the pieces of treasure he's not supposed to.
The rest of the TV spot is loaded with quick shots of iconic moments from the original movie, including the parade that Aladdin brings into Agrabah when he becomes Prince Ali Ababwa. There's also that lovely moment when Jasmine reaches for Aladdin's hand before they go on their magic carpet ride.
But the real money shot is this one right here at the very end of the TV spot:
That's Will Smith as the genie, and while he has the trademarks of the original blue wish-granter from Aladdin, there obviously still needs to be some major work done on Will Smith's face. It would appear that the character is being brought to life through motion capture, at least for when the genie is floating around or a larger size. Hopefully they won't have to use motion capture the entire time, because these visual effects don't look all that dazzling. They've got a few months to fix it, but there's a lot of work to be done.
Interestingly enough, a new still from the movie actually makes the genie look better:
The rest of the Aladdin cast includes Navid Negahban as Jasmine's father the Sultan, as well as Nasim Pedrad as Dalia and Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, two roles created solely for the remake of the movie. The latter is likely another suitor for Princess Jasmine, one much different from the prince seen in the original Aladdin. There's also Numan Acar as Hakim, which was the name of one of the henchman in the original Aladdin, and that very well could be the case here too.
Alan Menken returns to provide the score for Aladdin, which will include new recordings of the original songs he wrote with Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. There will also be two new songs joining the beloved soundtrack from the original movie, this time written by Menken, Benji Pasek and Justin Paul.
They're all under the direction of Guy Ritchie with a script he wrote with John August.
A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney's animated classic, "Aladdin" is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, "Aladdin" is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney's "Aladdin."
Aladdin hits theaters on May 24, 2019.