How 'Night at the Museum' Handled the Death of Robin Williams
Ben Stiller and Robin Williams in the new Night at the Museum
When Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb hits theaters on Dec. 19, it will mark the last time a new film featuring Robin Williams premieres on the big screen. Luckily for fans, Williams’ performance as a rough ridin’ Teddy Roosevelt will largely be left intact.
The legendary actor/comedian took his own life in August, just after director Shawn Levy finished his first cut of the threequel. Williams’ Roosevelt character is heavily featured in the movie, which stars Ben Stiller as a museum guard who teams up with suddenly sentient historical artifacts and figures.
Related: Robin Williams: His Most Memorable Roles
According to a new story in the New York Times, Levy cut just two sentences from Williams’ dialogue, because they were too “personally haunting” in foreshadowing the actor’s death.
Levy declined to tell The Times what those lines were, though perhaps that’s for the best.
The film will also end with a tribute to Williams: a black screen and the words “And for Robin Williams, the magic never ends.”
Watch the trailer:
Photo credit: Fox
