After ‘Bad Boys 4’ Proved He’s Still Bankable, Will Smith Is Teaming with Sony Again on a Sci-Fi Film
Brian Welk
The Slap aside, Will Smith proved this month that he’s still a bankable, global movie star with the return of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” “Bad Boys” studio Sony is teaming with Smith yet again, this time on a sci-fi feature.
Smith will star in and produce “Resistor” for Sony Pictures, a science-fiction film based on the book “Influx” by New York Times Bestselling author Daniel Suarez.
Plot details for the film are being kept under wraps, but Suarez’s book, released in 2014, is about a dystopian future where the government hides and controls any technological advancements and withholds them for a select few. The story follows a physicist who discovers a device that can alter gravity. But when he refuses to participate with the government organization on his innovation, he’s thrown into a hellish, high-tech prison occupied by other would-be inventors and rebels.
Zak Olkewicz (“Bullet Train”) wrote the initial draft of the script, and Eric Singer (“Top Gun Maverick,” “American Hustle”) wrote the latest draft.
“Resistor” is currently in development and is seeking a director.
Will Smith is producing for his Westbrook banner alongside Jon Mone. Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Tony Shaw are also producing, as is Dave Wilson. Heather Washington will executive produce.
Smith has previously teamed with producer Todd Black on films like “Seven Pounds,” “Emancipation,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The last time Smith made a sci-fi was 2019’s “Gemini Man” from director Ang Lee, where he played a hit man facing off against a de-aged version of himself.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” has been one of the few bright spots at the box office this year, despite being Smith’s first starring role since he got put in time out for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars (immediately) prior to winning the Oscar for “King Richard.” The fourth film in the “Bad Boys” series now made it a billion-dollar franchise.
And “Bad Boys 4” is still going strong. The film has earned $215.5 million globally in its first 10 days of release, and it even outperformed expectations in its second weekend behind the stellar performance from “Inside Out 2.”
Smith is represented by CAA and Overbrook Entertainment.
Deadline first reported the news.
