The film's director, Guy Ritchie, has previously said that he knew Smith would make the
role his own, and he wasn't kidding.
"The great thing about the role of the Genie is that it's essentially a hyperbole for who that individual actor is, so it's a wonderful platform and tapestry for an actor to fill his boots on," Ritchie said.
Smith has said he wants his take on the film's genie to have some "hip-hop flavour".
"I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was a homage to Robin Williams but was musically different," Smith said.
"Just the flavour of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete."
"I think it'll stand out as unique even in the Disney world. There hasn't been a lot of that hip-hop flavour in Disney history."
The new live-action Aladdin is set to be released in 2019.
