What's New? - Will Smith
WILL
I'll do my best to update you all on the upcoming films of our stars, big and small, on both sides of the camera.
First, the biggest and most polarizing of them all - Will Smith.
Here are some newly announced productions of note for Mr Smith, along with my commentary.
My Wife Hates Your Wife
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: Two best friends' wives get into a fight and declare that the husbands are prohibited from seeing each other.
Distributor: Sony
Tambay says - I'm guessing it's a comedy.
Taharka (aka The Last Pharaoh)
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: A sweeping epic about the last Nubian pharaoh of Egypt.
Distributor: Sony
Writer: Randall Wallace
Tambay says - Hmmmm... Will Smith as a "Nubian pharaoh of Egypt," AND in "sweeping epic" style? Ok. We'll see. It's worth noting that the writer, Randall Wallace, has some solid work on his resume - Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and the currently in production adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (starring Angelina Jolie) - all what you might call "sweeping epics," notably the first 2, which both starred Mel Gibson, by the way.
Uptown Saturday Night
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: A remake of the 1974 hit that starred Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor, directed by Poitier.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Writer attached: David Dobkin
Tambay says - Will has talked about doing this for awhile. If I remember correctly, the remake of Oceans 11 encouraged him. This could be a fun romp, if done right... of course. Casting could also be interesting. I recall Martin Lawrence's name being thrown around as one co-star. Not sure who else will get a look - after all, they've got at least 5 starring roles for black men in there. It would also be nice if he got a black director to helm the production (for a change). The attached writer's resume leaves a lot to be desired: Shanghai Nights, Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus... bleh... Come on Will. If you're going to remake this film, at least do so in the same spirit in which the original was made - a film written by a black writer (playwright Richard Wesley), starring a black cast of stars, and directed by a black man (Sidney Poitier). As he was putting the production team together, one of Sidney's goals was to create work for his fellow African American performers, both in front of, and behind the camera. He was the biggest star of the group, at the time; and without him, the film may never have gotten made - all things that I'm sure he was fully aware of. So, it would be REALLY nice to repeat the sentiment. You can begin by removing this David Dobkin fellow from the team.
This Means War
Distributor: Fox
Synopsis: Two best friends who are spies compete for the same woman.
No cast attached.
Tambay says - there's no cast attached to this yet, but it's listed as a collab between Overbrook Entertainment (Will Smith's production company) and Fox, acting as studio distributor. So, I'll guess that Will will star in it, as one of the 2 best friends.
Joe Louis
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Synopsis: The story of America's entry into World War II set against Joe Louis' two fights against Max Schmeling; Overbrook producing with Irwin Winkler.
Cast attached: N/A
Tambay says - Same story as This Means War above. Overbrook is producing, Warner Bros is distributing. Although, I'm not sure if this is the same Joe Louis pic that Spike Lee has been wanting to make for awhile. He and Will Smith really haven't been very chummy, especially after the Ali fiasco. So, I don't think this will be a teaming of the two. And, I can't see Will Smith playing another legendary boxer. Maybe his company is producing, Spike is directing, and someone else will star.
That's all I have for Mr Smith...
Others names will follow!
NEW
I'll do my best to update you all on the upcoming films of our stars, big and small, on both sides of the camera.
First, the biggest and most polarizing of them all - Will Smith.
Here are some newly announced productions of note for Mr Smith, along with my commentary.
My Wife Hates Your Wife
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: Two best friends' wives get into a fight and declare that the husbands are prohibited from seeing each other.
Distributor: Sony
Tambay says - I'm guessing it's a comedy.
Taharka (aka The Last Pharaoh)
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: A sweeping epic about the last Nubian pharaoh of Egypt.
Distributor: Sony
Writer: Randall Wallace
Tambay says - Hmmmm... Will Smith as a "Nubian pharaoh of Egypt," AND in "sweeping epic" style? Ok. We'll see. It's worth noting that the writer, Randall Wallace, has some solid work on his resume - Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and the currently in production adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (starring Angelina Jolie) - all what you might call "sweeping epics," notably the first 2, which both starred Mel Gibson, by the way.
Uptown Saturday Night
Cast attached: Will Smith
Synopsis: A remake of the 1974 hit that starred Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor, directed by Poitier.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Writer attached: David Dobkin
Tambay says - Will has talked about doing this for awhile. If I remember correctly, the remake of Oceans 11 encouraged him. This could be a fun romp, if done right... of course. Casting could also be interesting. I recall Martin Lawrence's name being thrown around as one co-star. Not sure who else will get a look - after all, they've got at least 5 starring roles for black men in there. It would also be nice if he got a black director to helm the production (for a change). The attached writer's resume leaves a lot to be desired: Shanghai Nights, Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus... bleh... Come on Will. If you're going to remake this film, at least do so in the same spirit in which the original was made - a film written by a black writer (playwright Richard Wesley), starring a black cast of stars, and directed by a black man (Sidney Poitier). As he was putting the production team together, one of Sidney's goals was to create work for his fellow African American performers, both in front of, and behind the camera. He was the biggest star of the group, at the time; and without him, the film may never have gotten made - all things that I'm sure he was fully aware of. So, it would be REALLY nice to repeat the sentiment. You can begin by removing this David Dobkin fellow from the team.
This Means War
Distributor: Fox
Synopsis: Two best friends who are spies compete for the same woman.
No cast attached.
Tambay says - there's no cast attached to this yet, but it's listed as a collab between Overbrook Entertainment (Will Smith's production company) and Fox, acting as studio distributor. So, I'll guess that Will will star in it, as one of the 2 best friends.
Joe Louis
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Synopsis: The story of America's entry into World War II set against Joe Louis' two fights against Max Schmeling; Overbrook producing with Irwin Winkler.
Cast attached: N/A
Tambay says - Same story as This Means War above. Overbrook is producing, Warner Bros is distributing. Although, I'm not sure if this is the same Joe Louis pic that Spike Lee has been wanting to make for awhile. He and Will Smith really haven't been very chummy, especially after the Ali fiasco. So, I don't think this will be a teaming of the two. And, I can't see Will Smith playing another legendary boxer. Maybe his company is producing, Spike is directing, and someone else will star.
That's all I have for Mr Smith...
Others names will follow!
NEW
They all look interesting and i was excited for a Uptown remake but I hate the crop of comedies out now the whole will ferrel/Seth rogin empire is totally unfunny to me, except Old School. Uptown directed by Dobkin has me worried. The only thing good on dobkin resume is clay pigeons and that was only good because it took it's structure from The Hitcher.
Will Ferrel was never really funny to me... I actually find him a little annoying, like Robin Williams used to be annoying.
As for "Uptown," Dobkin is listed as the screenwriter, but not the director. But I would rather see them do something original, instead of a remake.
Ferrel, Williams, and Martin all try to hard.