Disney fans know that the late Robin Williams improvised heavily and went on comedic tangents while recording the Genie role for Aladdin. As a result, truckloads of footage didn’t make the final cut. An unnamed former Disney executive told The Times of London that there was so much material that the Mouse House could use them for a fourth Aladdin sequel. However, a recently discovered stipulation in Williams’ will has scrapped those plans.

Williams tragically took his own life on August 11, 2014, and The Times reports that his will prevents “fresh exploitation of his name, taped performances or voice recordings for 25 years.” The former exec said:

When he was on form, the hyperactive motormouth we love from Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, Dead Poets Society and Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin was making 30 jokes a minute. Now, because he insisted on a final say on such material, [the jokes] will remain in the vaults.

The Times mentioned that this action was to protect his family — his widow, Susa, and children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody — from incurring estate penalties from any posthumous earnings. However, on the Blu-ray release of Aladdin (which hit shelves on October 6th) the bonus materials include a 9-minute featurette documenting some of Williams’ outtakes set to rough designs. So, apparently, this is a loophole. You can watch some of the outtakes in a video clip from ABC News below.


While we won’t be getting another installment of the animated feature, at least one with Williams’ Genie, Disney is still planning a live-action TV show called Genies. Plot details are still under wraps, but it’s safe to say it’ll revolve around these lamp-dwelling magical beings. It’ll act as a prequel to the feature film and is written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Since the story of Aladdin was mined from One Thousand and One Nights, there’s plenty more source material to round out this Genie-centric world.

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Image via Disney