It's not often that news of three potential Will Smith films emerges in the span of a few days. The box office juggernaut is usually good for about one film a year, and often goes a few years without stepping in front of the camera. But he seems to be picking up the pace, as he recently agreed to star in the crime caper, Focus, and now has added two more potential projects to his slate. But first, there's been a little movement on his next film, the sci-fi flick After Earth.
Columbia Pictures has chosen to bump the M. Night Shyamalan-directed film up from June 7th to May 31st, where it will face stiff competition from illusionist thriller Now You See Me. After Earth pairs Will with his son Jaden in the story of a military commander and his kid who crash land on an Earth abandoned by humanity after an alien attack. It's up to the son to make a dangerous journey to signal a rescue beacon and save his father's life.
Where that film is the sort of popcorn flick Smith used to churn out on a regular basis, the next two projects are something else entirely. The first is The American Can, which Smith has been circling for more than four years. His Overbrook Productions shingle picked up the rights back in 2009 with plans for Smith to star, with John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) co-writing the script and directing. Hancock has since departed, although his draft remains, and for awhile Smith backed out with hopes of landing Denzel Washington for the lead. Now Smith is starring again, and reaching out to Ed Zwick (Love and Other Drugs) to direct.
The true story is actually pretty incredible, and puts Smith back in the familiar "hero" position. He'd play John Keller, an ex-Marine who, during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, manned a boat and rescued more than two hundred residents in the American Can building. Using his military training and resourcefulness, Keller was able to find food and help fend off looters until help arrived a few days later. Smith would like this to be his next film after Focus, but there is one more possibility on the table.
Smith is also considering The Accountant, which features a Black List script by Bill Dubuque about a government accountant who moonlights as an assassin. He had been interested in it before back when it was at Warner Bros. with Mel Gibson circling the director's chair, but now Sony has taken over and Smith is suddenly mulling it over again.
With a small role in Akiva Goldsman's Winter's Tale coming up, Smith could be on the verge of a prolific streak the likes of which we haven't seen since very early in his career.
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