When Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin adaptation hits the big screen next month, one of its biggest draws will be Will Smith’s Genie – the most beloved comedy character from the 1992 classic, given a new interpretation by a Hollywood icon. It’s tricky too though, following in the footsteps of the late, great Robin Williams, and taking an inherently cartoonish character and making them fit into a live-action environment. When the first look at Smith’s Genie arrived in a teaser trailer in February, the internet responded as it tends to do: with copious memes.
From Genie-Shrek hybrids, to Arrested Development ‘I blue myself’ gags, and Papa Smurf Photoshops, there was a slew of images involving Smith's Genie. But the actor wasn’t hurt by the reaction – in fact, he was tickled by the memes too.
“It was very funny,” Smith tells Empire in the new issue. “There was a Sonic The Hedgehog / Genie frog. Everything is under such critical scrutiny. I came up in an era where there was no internet. It’s a new thing that I’m trying to get a handle on.” By the time the latest trailer came out, with tweaked and improved Genie shots, Ritchie was satisfied that the critics were back on board. “It even came with apologies from the cynics who were so adamant initially,” the director says. “I’ve never seen apologies in that world. I thought, ‘Oh well, great, we’re back to where I’d hoped we’d be.'”
Read plenty more about Aladdin, with new Will Smith and Guy Ritchie interviews, in the John Wick issue of Empire – on shelves now, and available to order online here{
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