diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
index 1a064fb582..caa218f95e 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/abstract_emitter.ts
@@ -250,12 +250,13 @@ export abstract class AbstractEmitterVisitor implements o.StatementVisitor, o.Ex
     ctx.print(`)`);
     return null;
   }
-  visitLiteralExpr(ast: o.LiteralExpr, ctx: EmitterVisitorContext): any {
+  visitLiteralExpr(ast: o.LiteralExpr, ctx: EmitterVisitorContext, absentValue: string = 'null'):
+      any {
     var value = ast.value;
     if (isString(value)) {
       ctx.print(escapeSingleQuoteString(value, this._escapeDollarInStrings));
     } else if (isBlank(value)) {
-      ctx.print('null');
+      ctx.print(absentValue);
     } else {
       ctx.print(`${value}`);
     }
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/ts_emitter.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/ts_emitter.ts
index d4d4e259f0..b95114bffe 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/ts_emitter.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/output/ts_emitter.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ class _TsEmitterVisitor extends AbstractEmitterVisitor implements o.TypeVisitor
     }
   }
 
+  visitLiteralExpr(ast: o.LiteralExpr, ctx: EmitterVisitorContext): any {
+    super.visitLiteralExpr(ast, ctx, '(null as any)');
+  }
+
   visitExternalExpr(ast: o.ExternalExpr, ctx: EmitterVisitorContext): any {
     this._visitIdentifier(ast.value, ast.typeParams, ctx);
     return null;
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
index e9fa32e695..1799af86d8 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/output/ts_emitter_spec.ts
@@ -290,35 +290,41 @@ export function main() {
 
     it('should support builtin types', () => {
       var writeVarExpr = o.variable('a').set(o.NULL_EXPR);
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.DYNAMIC_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:any = null;');
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.BOOL_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:boolean = null;');
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.INT_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:number = null;');
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.NUMBER_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:number = null;');
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.STRING_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:string = null;');
-      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.FUNCTION_TYPE))).toEqual('var a:Function = null;');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.DYNAMIC_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:any = (null as any);');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.BOOL_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:boolean = (null as any);');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.INT_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:number = (null as any);');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.NUMBER_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:number = (null as any);');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.STRING_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:string = (null as any);');
+      expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.FUNCTION_TYPE)))
+          .toEqual('var a:Function = (null as any);');
     });
 
     it('should support external types', () => {
       var writeVarExpr = o.variable('a').set(o.NULL_EXPR);
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.importType(sameModuleIdentifier))))
-          .toEqual('var a:someLocalId = null;');
+          .toEqual('var a:someLocalId = (null as any);');
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(o.importType(externalModuleIdentifier)))).toEqual([
         `import * as import0 from 'somePackage/someOtherPath';`,
-        `var a:import0.someExternalId = null;`
+        `var a:import0.someExternalId = (null as any);`
       ].join('\n'));
     });
 
     it('should support combined types', () => {
       var writeVarExpr = o.variable('a').set(o.NULL_EXPR);
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(new o.ArrayType(null))))
-          .toEqual('var a:any[] = null;');
+          .toEqual('var a:any[] = (null as any);');
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(new o.ArrayType(o.INT_TYPE))))
-          .toEqual('var a:number[] = null;');
+          .toEqual('var a:number[] = (null as any);');
 
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(new o.MapType(null))))
-          .toEqual('var a:{[key: string]:any} = null;');
+          .toEqual('var a:{[key: string]:any} = (null as any);');
       expect(emitStmt(writeVarExpr.toDeclStmt(new o.MapType(o.INT_TYPE))))
-          .toEqual('var a:{[key: string]:number} = null;');
+          .toEqual('var a:{[key: string]:number} = (null as any);');
     });
   });
 }