Will Smith is in talks to star in Resistor for Sony Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The project that hails from Escape Artists is an adaptation of the 2014 novel Influx from New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez, although specific plot details have not been shared. The book focuses on a government agency that locks away inventors in a secretive prison and hijacks their work.
A director is not yet attached for the film, which is currently in development. Screenwriter Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train) penned the first draft, and the latest version is from Academy Award-nominated writer Eric Warren Singer (Top Gun: Maverick, American Hustle).
Producers include Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Tony Shaw and Dave Wilson, alongside Westbrook’s Smith and Jon Mone. Heather Washington is executive producing.
Smith and Black have previously collaborated on the Sony films Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happyness and Emancipation.
The news follows Smith’s return to his position as a top box office earner following his controversial confrontation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. His Sony film Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which hit theaters earlier this month and co-stars Martin Lawrence, has surpassed $100 million at the domestic box office after 10 days of release.
Ride or Die — the fourth installment in the action-comedy movie franchise that began with 1995’s Bad Boys — marked the first movie of this summer to come in significantly ahead of tracking at the box office.
THR previously reported that Smith’s representatives at CAA had recently been contacting studio production executives for the first time since the controversial Academy Awards moment to explore potential projects in hopes of riding his Bad Boys momentum.
Tag: Will Smith
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Will Smith books next movie with Sony’s ‘Resistor’
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Will Smith says he read Quran ‘cover to cover during Ramadan’
Will Smith gave an insight into his spiritual journey in an interview. The Hollywood actor spoke about his appreciation for the Quran and its impact on his life during a chat with Egyptian journalist Amr Adeeb on the Big Time Podcast. Will said that he ‘read all holy books’ in the last couple of years, and added he ‘read the Quran cover to cover during Ramadan this year’. The interview, which is being widely shared online now, took place in December 2023. Will Smith said, “You know the last two years of my life have been a difficult time and my attention turned inward. And I was just talking to someone earlier about how I read all the holy books. I read the Quran. I read the Quran cover to cover during Ramadan this year (2023). This is the spiritual-seeking phase of my life. This is the period of my life that I am trying to cultivate as wide, open and loving a heart as I will be able to.” The actor also said, “I love the simplicity of the Quran. It’s so clear. It’s crystal clear…”
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Will Smith speaks candidly about his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith
Hollywood star Will Smith recently spoke candidly about his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith after it came to light earlier this year that she had a romantic “entanglement” with another man.
According to a report, in July, Jada appeared on her Facebook Watch series ‘Red Table Talk’ with her husband where she addressed rumours about an extramarital affair head-on.
Jada had admitted that about four-and-a-half years ago, she and Will separated with the intention to divorce, and while separated she had a “relationship” with August Alsina. Now, speaking to a magazine, Will discussed some of the revelations that will come up in his upcoming memoir, ‘Will’. Interviewer Wesley Lowery read an advanced copy of the book, noting that the ‘Men In Black’ actor does not go into much detail regarding the situation because much of it was made public in July. “Jada never believed in conventional marriage… Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship,” Will said of his wife of 23 years.