“Kazaam ”Director Responds to “Scary Movie ”Dig at Shaquille O'Neal's Genie Role

Angela AndaloroMon, June 15, 2026 at 8:58 PM UTC

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Shaquille O'Neal for 'Kazaam' (left), Shorty in 'Scary Movie'Credit: Bonnie Schiffman/Getty; Quantrell Colbert/Paramount Pictures -

Paul Michael Glaser's Kazaam was the subject of a joke in the newly released Scary Movie

Glaser, 83, reflected on the joke in a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter

While Glaser defended the movie, he also acknowledged some of its shortcomings

Paul Michael Glaser was surprised to hear of a Kazaam reference in the new Scary Movie.

The director of the 1996 film was recently asked by The Hollywood Reporterabout a joke in the new Scary Movie that references the movie, which starred Shaquille O'Neal as a genie.

The joke sees Marlon Wayans' Shorty Meeks as O'Neal today, in his NBA commentator capacity, mumbling, "I never got over Kazaam" before killing O'Neal in the film.

Glaser told the outlet he had "no clue" the joke was coming, adding, "It's nice that something you worked on has some resonance."

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Shaquille O'Neal in a scene from the film 'Kazaam', 1996Credit: Buena Vista/Getty Images

Glaser didn't seem entirely thrilled by the joke, which was explained to him.

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"It sounds to me that when they said, 'I never got over Kazaam,' and they killed him, that's because Kazaam was such a terrible movie," he observed, noting he doesn't agree.

Glaser recalled how the film came to be, with a family friend connecting him with the NBA star's management team.

"They said, 'In the meantime, do you know of any good film roles for Shaq before he goes back to basketball camp at the end of the summer?' I said, 'No, he ought to play a genie,' and I hung up the phone," he shared.

While he wasn't being serious, he found himself mulling over the idea.

"I came up with that idea about a genie who lost his power, and [through] experiencing the caring and love of a good friendship, he rediscovers his power. I still believe that was a really good idea. I don't think we executed it as well as we could have," he conceded.

"At the time, Shaq fancied himself a rap musician, so I wrote it as a rap musical," the director explained, adding "But he was a lovely guy and great to work with."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”