Aladdin Trailer…Why Will Smith??

So I finally watched the trailer for the live action movie for Aladdin. If you haven’t seen it watch the trailer here:

Now that we are all on the same page let’s talk about the biggest issue. Genie. I was expecting Genie to look (or at least be styled) like Disney’s broadway version of Genie. Like the picture below.

Not to mention I think James Monroe Iglehart played the perfect Genie (besides Robin Williams, of course). He gave Genie a modern twist yet kept all the elements that make the Genie…Genie.

Besides the awkward blue skin and elf-like ears all I could see was…Will Smith.

That’s the issue when casting A-list celebrities in movies. Most of the time we just see the celebrity playing a character. But you know when the acting is good when you COMPLETELY forget the celebrity and focus on the character they play.

Anyway, that was one of the things I was afraid of when they announced Will Smith as the Genie. That I would see Will Smith…and not the Genie. These are just my thoughts solely based on the trailer.

My opinion might change after I watch the movie. So I’ll still be going with a hopeful, open mind.

Now on to Aladdin and Jasmine:

Honestly, I really like the actor/actress they casted to play these iconic roles. They look the part. Naomi Scott as Jasmine and Mena Massound as Aladdin. I wrote a blog post back when Disney was searching for the actor who would be cast as Aladdin, you can read it here. But I need to see the movie before I can completely say that they portrayed Aladdin and Jasmine right.