Aladdin 2 not possible for Disney as Robin Williams refuses Genie voice recordings access in will

Williams did not want his familiy to incur financial penalities from his posthumous earnings

Jess Denham
Monday 09 November 2015 10:33 GMT
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Disney bosses might have been rubbing their hands with glee at the possibility of another Aladdin sequel but, unless they want to commit the cardinal sin of getting another Genie on board, they won’t be able to.

Late actor Robin Williams famously voiced Aladdin’s iconic big blue bestie in the 1992 animated classic but his will states that producers cannot use his “name, taped performances or voice recordings for 25 years after his death”.

The Oscar-winning actor tragically killed himself in August 2014 aged 63, after struggling with depression and, unbeknowingly to him, Lewy body dementia.

A former Disney executive revealed the news to The Sunday Times, saying that although there were enough outtakes to make a fourth Aladdin film, it was a no-go.

“When he was on form, the hyperactive motormouth we love from Good Morning Vietnam and Mrs Doubtfire was making 30 jokes a minute,” he said. “Now, because he insisted on a final say on such material, [the jokes] will remain in the vaults.”

The unnamed exec added that the clause in the will was to prevent his family from “incurring estate penalties due to his posthumous earnings”.

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker were set on casting Williams as the Genie. “We were totally walking down the plank. If he said no, we were going to be in big trouble because the whole concept was built around Robin,” Musker said.

“There was nobody else who could be the Genie, and fortunately he agreed to do it. He had so much energy and so much passion.”

Some of Williams’ recording outtakes can be found on the recent Blu-ray release of Aladdin, released 13 October.

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