'Aladdin' Genie: Will Smith Promises He'll Still Have a Big Blue Dad Bod

Yes, we all saw that super weird Entertainment Weekly cover with the humanoid genie, but don’t worry, Will Smith will still be a big blue genie in Disney’s live-action Aladdin. You can all relax now. Your childhoods are safe.

On Wednesday, EW revealed its 2019 “First Look” cover for Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, set for release on May 24, 2019. The photo features Will Smith as the Genie, along with Mena Massoud (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as Aladdin and Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) as Princess Jasmine.

In a bizarre twist, at least to Disney fans nostalgic for the 1992 animated classic starring Robin Williams, Smith’s Genie looks human, and not look like a big, blue mystical entity with a dad bod. But on Instagram, Smith promises that his Genie will, in fact, be big and blue, adding that the magazine cover shows the Genie in his “disguise.”

“BAM!! First look at the Genie 🧞‍♂️,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “Princess Jasmine, and #Aladdin! Check Me Rockin’ the Top Knot Ponytail Vibes in @entertainmentweekly 😆”

He then added, in parenthesis: “(and yes, I’m gonna be BLUE! :-) )”

Smith also responded to a commenter asking about his human form. Smith replied: “I’m gonna be BLUE! :-) This is how he Genie is in Human / Disguise Form. My character will be CGI most of the movie.”

Director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RockNRolla, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) further teased the Genie’s appearance to Entertainment Weekly, explaining that he will be a physical force in the room due to his size.

“I wanted a muscular 1970s dad,” Ritchie said. “He was big enough to feel like a force — not so muscular that he looked like he was counting his calories, but formidable enough to look like you knew when he was in the room.”

See Will Smith’s Instagram post below.

Disney’s Aladdin is the latest in Disney’s new franchise of live-action remakes based on the studio’s long list of animated hits. Last year, a remake of Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Luke Evans was a box office powerhouse, grossing $1.26 billion worldwide despite lukewarm reviews.

Disney’s Aladdin will be released in theaters on May 24, 2019.

Related video: See Princess Jasmine’s cameo in the trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet.