With his and Steven Spielberg’s Old Boy remake having bitten the dust. Will Smith is having to look around for new things to fill up his time with, and according to reports, he may have found it with an adaptation of Daniel Keyes classic novel, Flowers For Algneron.
Pajiba reports that Smith is busy setting up the film at Sony. He plans to produce and star in the film, while his regular director for more serious films, Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit Of Happyness, Seven Pounds), may taking on directing duties.
If you don’t know the story itself, it sees scientists discovering a way to increase the intelligence of test subjects. Charlie, who is mentally challenged and has an IQ of only 68, is one of the subjects, and the procedure turns him into a genius with an IQ of 185. However his newfound intelligence comes with numerous difficulties and he begins to have trouble relating to those around him and dealing with the new understanding and emotions his intelligence brings. As always in this sort of story, he also comes to realise that his genius may not last. Oh, and if you’re wondering, Algernon is a mouse who had its intelligence increased before they moved onto human test subjects.
The story has been around since the late 50s, and while there have been several TV movies and the 1968 film Charly (which won Cliff Robertson the Best Actor actor), no truly truly major star has ever taken on the complex challenges of Flowers For Algernon. However WIll Smith wants his Oscar, so it look like he’s going for the massive acting challenge of not only playing someone who is mentally challenged, but who also has to deal with newfound intelligence and an understanding of their situation that they never had before. If done right, it could be a superb and surprisingly dark film for Smith, however it’s also the sort of movie that could be a disaster if not handled right.