Smith isn’t any stranger to working with main studios, as he and Paramount have beforehand collaborated on titles like Gemini Man and Anchorman 2, whereas Sony helped launch and maintain his most iconic IPs. Now, with the business extra targeted than ever on big-budget franchises and IP-driven tasks, Smith has signed a brand new film deal.
Paramount Footage has revealed a multi-picture, first-look cope with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s manufacturing firm Westbrook, with a concentrate on IP-based, franchise-starting theatrical movies. The studio will develop new high-concept, four-quadrant options, lots of that are being set as much as star the Oscar-winning actor. Two tasks already within the pipeline below the brand new deal embrace:
Sugar Bandits — A Boston-set motion thriller primarily based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Devils in Exile, following a former particular forces soldier main a vigilante squad focusing on the town’s drug commerce.
Rabbit Gap — A thriller venture penned by Dune screenwriter Jon Spaihts, with plot particulars nonetheless below wraps.
As a part of the settlement, Westbrook will probably be headquartered on the Paramount lot in Hollywood. This new transfer follows a string of high-profile expertise acquisitions by Paramount, together with a four-year cope with Stranger Issues creators the Duffer Brothers, and a function adaptation of Name of Obligation from Activision. Final month, the studio additionally landed Excessive Facet, starring Timothée Chalamet.
What Will Smith’s New Paramount Deal Means
Will Smith holding a Neuralyzer in Males in Black
Will Smith’s pivot towards franchise technology displays Hollywood’s present urge for food for IP-driven franchises over unique movies. By aligning with a studio like Paramount, Smith features important assist in creating new action-forward, world hits, which might additionally doubtlessly spawn the subsequent Males in Black-level success story.
Paramount, in flip, will get a bankable star whereas additionally producing by a confirmed firm. Smith’s Westbrook has already demonstrated sturdy storytelling instincts and business sensibilities, making it an ideal match for Paramount’s aggressive development technique. Moreover, with two massive names starting a collaboration, there may be important potential for field workplace success.
For Smith, this deal additionally alerts a brand new chapter. After collaborations with Sony and streaming experiments like Emancipation and Shiny, this return to theatrical-first IP performs into his legacy. Because of this new deal, Paramount can form not only one film, however a number of franchises that would outline the subsequent decade of Smith’s profession.
Our Take On The Paramount & Will Smith Deal
Will Smith as Det. Lt. Mike Lowrey speaking to Martin Lawrence as Det. Lt. Marcus Burnett in Unhealthy Boys 4.
Will Smith stays one of many few actors whose identify nonetheless carries world blockbuster weight, even in mild of his current AI controversy. Subsequently, this Paramount deal seems like a pure evolution for the actor, which will probably be much less about reboots or sequels (like Bel-Air) and extra about creating one thing recent with franchise potential already baked in from the beginning.
With Sugar Bandits already sounding like a grounded, Sicario-style thriller, and Rabbit Gap tapping expertise like Jon Spaihts, there’s sturdy potential for this partnership to yield one thing distinctive. Paramount’s current sizzling streak reveals they are not simply chasing developments; they’re additionally constructing momentum, and bringing in an enormous identify like Will Smith could also be their most strategic transfer but.
Headshot OF Will Smith
Birthdate
September 25, 1968
Birthplace
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
