
Will Smith plans return to acting with sci-thriller ‘Brilliance’
Will Smith is set to return to acting following his controversial ordeal at the Oscars. I’m sure Julian Casablancas will be delighted with the news after he urged Smith to “retire for the sake of overall movie quality.”
However, there is solace for The Strokes frontman in the fact that the Fresh Prince is returning to the genre that Casablancas thinks suits him best. After all, he did state: “Will Smith has sucked (yet continued to be full of himself) since Independence Day.”
Perhaps Smith took note of this praise and decided to enter that world once more with the aptly titled Brilliance. The film would be based on Marcus Sakey’s novel series of the same name.
Sakey’s first book comes with the following synopsis: “In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion.”
Continuing: “In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called ‘brilliants’, and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists.”
Concluding: “His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in – and betray his own kind.”
Smith would take up the role of the hero Nick Cooper, while Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy would make her narrative feature directorial debut with the film if it does go ahead. Currently, the project is merely heavily touted, and Smith may end up simply producing the project alongside Akiva Goldsman, who also worked on I, Robot and I Am Legend with the actor.
Further news is expected in the coming weeks.
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