Robin Williams’ Will Prevents Disney From Using Old Material For ‘Aladdin’ Sequel

Robin Williams’ will has forced Disney to desert any plans for a fourth installment of the popular animated franchise Aladdin when it barred the company from using Williams’ “name, taped performances or voice recordings for 25 years after his death.”

According to the New York Post, a former executive from Disney indicated that while in production for the cartoon in 1991, there were enough outtakes of Williams’ Genie’s lines from recording sessions to make a sequel for Aladdin.

This is exciting news to not only Aladdin lovers, but also to a world that feels the absence of the great Robin Williams.

Unfortunately for everyone, any sequel using any of the lines Robin recorded that ended up on the cutting floor will be locked away for at least two decades.

“When he was on form, the hyperactive motormouth we love from ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ and ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ 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 provision in Williams’ will is meant to protect his widow and three children, Susan, Zak, Zelda, and Cody ” from incurring estate penalties due to his posthumous earnings.”

However, TheWrap reports that there were never actually plans for a fourth Aladdin movie in the first place. All of the outtakes from the recording sessions with Robin had already been released a few months ago in October on the “Diamond Edition” DVD of Aladdin. Clips from William’s in the recording booth were featured on the special edition DVD. Though these clips of Robin weren’t made into an Aladdin sequel, they have already been made available to the public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IQ2_yutL6s

The Wrap indicated that they had contacted a representative from Disney asking about the stipulation that kept the studio from using any material of Robin that didn’t make it into the original film. The representative did not respond to the inquiries, though apparently a source, who is familiar with Disney’s plans, made it clear that there was no Aladdin sequel planned anyway, with or without Robin as the voice for the Genie.

Despite confusion over any posthumous production of the animated sequel using outtakes from Robin in the recording booth, there definitely were three movies that had been filmed before the death of Robin, and they all have been posthumously released. Those films were A Merry Friggin’ Christmas, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and Absolutely Anything.

The widow of Robin spoke out just last week about the brain disorder that led up to that late actor’s suicide in August 2014, as reported by the Inquisitr. Originally misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s, Robin suffered from Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia, a rare but debilitating brain disorder.

Williams’ widow made it clear that depression was only a small factor of what led Robin to take his own life.

“It was not depression that killed Robin. Depression was one of let’s call it 50 symptoms and it was a small one…This disease is like a sea monster with 50 tentacles of symptoms that show when they want. It’s chemical warfare in the brain. And we can’t find it until someone dies, definitively. There is no cure.”

Robin was completely sober when he hung himself in 2014, and his widow made that very clear, obviously proud of her late husband and his dedication to staying sober despite his past issues with it.

Regardless if the outtakes from the 1991 production of the cartoon have already been released on their own, it would still be an amazing thing to see Disney create a film using Williams’ cut footage in one of the most iconic roles of his career.

Though we may never get the chance to enjoy that, Robin Williams will live on in the work he completed while he was alive.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]