Will Smith gets Biblical in 'Joe', from the writers of The Fighter

By the time Men in Black 3 rolls around in 2012 it will have been four years since we saw Will Smith on screen. Crazy, right? His last film was 2008's Seven Pounds, which....well, let's just say I didn't care much for it. He's been plenty busy producing(Lakeview Terrace, The Karate Kid, The Secret Life of Bees), so he hasn't strayed far from the business. Now that he's gotten both his kids established following in his footsteps, the former Fresh Prince is filling his calandar in a big way.

Collider reports that Smith is attached to Joe, a drama from Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, co-writers of The Fighter.  The story is a retelling of the Biblical story of Job, which sees God and the Devil wagering on one "man's life, with the fate of the world at stake". Tamasy describes the film as a comedy at heart, but with a real dramatic core.  Unless Morgan Freeman is playing God, I don't see this as a comedy. David O. Russell is reportedly one of the top choices to direct. How he'd find the time I have no idea. Isn't he busy enough?

Last year, Will Smith saw himself attached to another religiously themed flick, The Legend of Cain, but I'm not sure where that film stands at this point. It doesn't really matter what Smith does or how long he's away, you can count on this one making a pretty penny at the box office. Especially since this type of story typically has wide appeal, even moreso if comedy becomes a central element. One of the reasons why Seven Pounds didn't really work was that it was so heavy, which doesn't fit into the way most people want to see Will Smith characters.