Will Smith might have been busy setting up career for his kids, but he hasn’t actually starred in a movie since 2008’s Seven Pounds, which is a long time for a major star to be off our screens (he’s been attached to numerous movies, but none actually went in front of the cameras), especially as his next film, Men In Black III, won’t be released until summer 2012.
However it appears he’s keen not to allow such a huge gap to happen again after MiB III, as he’s attached to a film called Joe, which is described as a modern version of the biblical story of Job. As Job was a good man who got mightily shat upon due to a bet betweed God and Satan over whether the pious human would ever curse God’s name, don’t expect the movie to be a barrel of laughs, despite claims it’s a ‘dark comedy’.
Collider reports the movie is being produced by Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment over at Sony Pictures, and is based on a pitch they bought from The Fighter writer, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. The duo had a little bit to say about it when they were interviewed on the Movie B.S. podcast. Tamasy says, “We sold a project to Sony with Overbrook and Will Smith. Its a modern version of the story of Job… [Smith] will be playing Joe. The movies called Joe. Its about a man [who is living] the American dream. Hes got the nice house, white picket fence, great kids, great wife, nice cars. God and the devil get together every thousand years to bet on a mans life, and the fate of the world is at stake. What all of us get hit with in a lifetime, this man gets hit with in one week. And its about whether or not he can still pick himself up from that and survive it. Its a dramedy. At its heart, its a comedy but its got, obviously, a real dramatic core to it.”
The duo are currently trying to get David O’Russell onboard to direct, but as he’s already got numerous projects in the pipeline, it’s uncertain if he’ll be able to fit this one in. Indeed, it’s uncertain how far along in the process the film is.
To be honest, while Sony’s bought the pitch, it might be a difficult one to get the greenlight, although Smith still has plenty of clout, so if he really wants to get it made, he may be able to push it through.