The movie Robin Williams banned from existing until at least 2039: “He insisted on a final say”
Thanks to questionable advances in technology, death is no longer an obstacle for an actor’s career to continue, but Robin Williams ensured that there’s one role he won’t be reprising posthumously.
James Earl Jones might have passed away, but Darth Vader could technically live forever, with the star signing over the rights to his voice likeness to a company, which leaves it free to recreate his sonorous tones and continue providing Star Wars movies, TV shows, and video games with the character.
Matthew McConaughey seems to be at the forefront of the movement, for some reason, and while stars like Michael Caine have hopped upon the AI bandwagon to theoretically enjoy eternal careers, Morgan Freeman is one of the many veterans who can’t stand the idea.
None of that concerns Williams, though. The legendary comedian, who passed away in 2014, had three movies released after his death in August 2014, which were already shot and completed. He was brought back nine years later as one of his most iconic characters, but that’s as far as it’ll go.
Unused recordings of the Academy Award winner as Aladdin‘s Genie were used in Disney’s 2023 short film, Once Upon a Studio, to celebrate the company’s centenary. However, if anyone in the boardroom has any ideas for utilising the rest of the endless outtakes he recorded for the animated classic, it can’t happen.
In his will, it was stipulated that producers are forbidden from using Williams’ “name, taped performances or voice recordings for 25 years after his death,” which was revealed by a former Disney executive, who explained that, even though there’s more than enough material to mount a fourth feature-length animated Aladdin that could feature the Genie, it’s out of the question.
“When he was on form, the hyperactive motormouth we love from Good Morning, Vietnam and Mrs Doubtfire was making 30 jokes a minute,” they said. “Now, because he insisted on a final say on such material, the jokes will remain in the vaults.”
Good, because that’s exactly where they should stay. Not to sound too cynical, but what other reason would a massive corporation have for dusting off Williams’ material from the cutting room floor and using it for something over a decade after his death other than capitalising on his enduring popularity and making money?
There was enough of a backlash over Mrs Doubtfire‘s Matthew Lawrence suggesting that he be brought back via AI to ensure that any attempts would be widely rejected, but knowing how Hollywood works, you can’t really be too sure what’ll happen when that 25-year mandate is up.
