If you’ve followed Robin Williams’ quarrels with Disney over the years, the following news comes as no surprise. The late actor was protective of his craft, so much so that a dispute with Disney over his likeness and voice work for the Genie in Aladdin led to Williams not voicing the character in the second film in the series. A later resolution between the animation studio and the actor allowed him to reprise his Golden Globe-winning role for the third film, but now, a fourth film with Williams seems unlikely due to a caveat in his will.
As the New York Post reports, Williams’ will states that his voice and his name cannot be used for at least 25 years after his death. The legality of the maneuver is so Williams’ estate and family do not receive estate penalties for any posthumous work. Disney has gone on the record to state that Williams recorded so much material for the Genie that a fourth film using his voice could be possible, but his will and testament ensures that he won’t appear as the blue cartoon genie for more than two decades.
A new Blu-ray version of Aladdin comes with many of the scenes Williams and Disney left on the editing bay floor, and it’s likely the closest we’ll come to seeing him as the Genie again won’t be until the caveat in the will runs its course, in 2039.
(Via New York Post)
