Robin Williams' will prevents Disney from recycling unused Genie outtakes in Aladdin sequel

Before Robin Williams' death in 2014, Walt Disney Pictures was busy developing a sequel to one of its biggest animated success, Aladdin. The studio was working under the vision that the follow-up could revolve solely around well-loved character Genie, with Williams reprising Al's iconic blue best friend once more on the big screen.

However, when the Oscar-winning comedian killed himself at the age of 63, after struggling with depression and, unknowingly Lewy body dementia, the project slowed. That is, until film-makers realised they could potentially recycle old voice recordings from when they filmed Aladdin in 1992, to make a sequel.

But a former Disney executive announced to The Sunday Times on 8 November that idea is now not possible, after discovering that the Good Will Hunting star specifically stated in his will that the outtakes cannot be reused in new material.

"When he was on form, the hyperactive motormouth we love from Good Morning Vietnam and Mrs Doubtfire was making 30 jokes a minute," the insider told the publication. "Now, because he insisted on a final say on such material, [the jokes] will remain in the vaults." The insider also stated that the clause in the will was made to prevent his family "incurring estate penalties due to his posthumous earnings".

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker previously revealed how much Williams' involvement meant when going ahead with the film, and that that it couldn't happen without him featuring in the sequel in some way. "We were totally walking down the plank," they said about his initial agreement to star. "If he said no, we were going to be in big trouble because the whole concept was built around Robin. There was nobody else who could be the Genie, and fortunately he agreed to do it. He had so much energy and so much passion."

Some of Williams' outtakes can be watched exclusively on the Diamond Edition Blu-Ray release of Aladdin which was released in the US on 13 October.

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