Will Smith movies: Speculation about his return to work in Hollywood
I am writing this here hub in late May - early june of 2009, and as of this time it has been almost six months since the actor Will smith was seen in a feature film. (the last movie that he was seen in was last December's Seven Pounds) This in itself isn't really a big deal, since most A list actors in Hollywood are only seen in a couple of projects a year at most and Smith kept a high profile with a busy 2008, starring in two movies. (the aforementioned Seven Pounds as well as the summer pop corn-action flick Hancock) The reason that many smith fans might wonder about what's next for him is because of his announcement in the last half of last year that he would be taking upto a year off from his film work to spend more quality time with his family. Now those of us that enjoy Smith's work are starting to wonder what projects he will be involved in when he decides to make his return to acting.
Since his last effort was such a dark drama (especially so, considering that it was released at christmas-time), I would not be at all surprised if Smith were to return by working on a comedy or action thriller. At this time no single projects have been confirmed by Smith's PR people as having definitely received the green light from Smith as being his next project, but there is some speculation out there as to what could likely be in line for smith in the coming year. If you were to go to the movie and entertainment website, imdb.com, right now and browse Will Smith's profile on there, you would see that he is listed as being involved in over twenty different projects that are all currently listed as being 'in development'. That is quite staggering, even for Hollywood where various actors names are constantly being attached to numerous projects at once. I offer you now this latest list of possible future Will Smith movies in its entirety:
1. The American Can
2. Untitled Will Smith/Chef Jeff Project
3. My Wife Hates Your Wife
4. The Long Run
5. Untitled I Am Legend Prequel
6. Cooked
7. The Billionaire's Vinegar
8. Angelology
9. The Last Pharaoh
10. Amulet
11. Old Boy
12. Greenbacks
13. It Takes a Thief
14. Welcome to the Sticks
15. Extra Protection
16. Unfinished Business
17. Time Share
18. Brushback
19. Newton's Law
20. Sisters of Mercy
21. Empire
22. Untitled Courage Crew Project
(list courtesy of imdb.com)
Of all of the titles listed above, only a few of them have been receiving any real attention from fans or the media so far. The I Am Legend prequel mentioned above has been talked about by Smith fans, but I don't really get the feeling that smith himself is all that excited about it at this time. The Last Pharaoh has also been covered by the media and this film seems to have more buzz behind it since Smith has expressed some interest in possibly making this his return"pet project" after his hiatus from Hollywood. The basic gist of Pharaoh is that Smith would play Taharqa, an Egyptian pharaoh who defended his land from Assyrian invaders in the 7th century BC. The Last Pharaoh is being written by Randall Wallace (of Braveheart fame) for Columbia Pictures, based upon a story idea that Smith is reported to have wanted to see made into a movie for a very long time.now. This is the project that I most expect to hear about as the most likely next choice for Smith, but really, only time will tell.
