Will Smith gets scorched & mocked for being a 'horrifying' Genie in the new 'Aladdin' trailer

We got our first look at Will Smith as “Aladdin”s Genie in all his blue splendor and it’s… unexpected.

The late Robin Williams made 1992’s Disney’s “Aladdin” character Genie come alive. His over-the-top energy, voice, humor, and his ability to transform himself into anything he wanted to be made for a magical character that every child wanted as a companion.

So when British thriller director Guy Ritchie, who’s worked on movies such as “Snatch” (2000) and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (2015), revealed that he was working on a live-action remake of the 1992 box office animation hit, many wondered if he would be able to pull it off.

Apart from an unlikely director, the choice of who would do justice to the role that Robin Williams had made timeless came as another surprise – Will Smith. When Entertainment Weekly shared a first look of the “Aladdin” cast, complete with Will in a top knot ponytail and a goatee, fans were divided.

“This is a joke, right?” asked @dann_kisses. “Don’t know why I have a bad feeling about this…” mused @mr_wambuu. “Yo this is so sick! I love how there’s a black genie!” was @izek_suede’s reaction.

The “I Am Legend” actor revealed that he wanted to honor - and not compete - with Robin Williams. “Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete,” said Will.

One thing stood out in the cast photo – Will’s flesh was its natural tone. “I’m gonna be BLUE!” Will assured his fans. But would the CGI effects used on Will be a win like “Avatar” or a spectacular fail?

WILL “BLUE” EVERYONE AWAY

During the recently concluded Grammy Awards show, viewers were in for a surprise when the latest trailer for “Aladdin” aired during a commercial break.

“I wanted a muscular 1970s dad. 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,” said Ritchie, as he envisioned how Genie would look like.

At the end of the minute-long clip, the world saw Will in all his blue, CGI-effected glory, and they were not pleased. “Ritchie was going for “muscular dad”. Instead, people saw a likeness to another lovable animated character – Shrek.

Social media was brutally honest with their comments. “Will Smith’s genie is horrifying,” tweeted one user. “The Will Smith genie makes me feel the same way I feel when a celebrity dies: nauseous, sad, and like I can’t wait to tell everybody about it,” added another.

But not everyone hated it. “Visuals look good and I’m glad they made Genie blue. Of course, Will Smith has some big shoes to fill but I’ll wait to see the film before casting any judgments!” shared a hopeful fan. “Yeah, that Will Smith Genie looks a liiiiiitttle off, but I reckon in the full thing it’ll look wild as heck in a good way. Intrigued,” wrote another blue Will supporter.

EVERYONE LOVES A BAD BOY

The jury may still be out on “Aladdin”, but one movie fans are eager to see is the third installment of “Bad Boys”, starring Will and Martin Lawrence.

Since the release of “Bad Boys II” in 2003, supporters of the franchise have been wondering when Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett would come together again to deliver their special brand of justice.

On November 1st of last year, Will and Martin released a video stating that “Bad Boys 3” was definitely on. “It’s been a LOOOONG time coming. But now it’s here! Bad Boys for Life We Back!” said Will in the video’s caption.

Since then, Will and Martin have shared regular updates while shooting the movie, and they even had their family visit them on the set. “Bad Boys 3” is set to be released in 2020.

“Aladdin” hits theaters on May 24, 2019. Hopefully, the updated take on this beloved classic will reveal that it’s a whole new world that is just as good as the original one.