Will Smith is in final negotiations to star in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Collateral Beauty, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hugh Jackman recently exited the role due to scheduling conflicts with the third Wolverine movie at 20th Century Fox, coming to theaters on March 3, 2017. Johnny Depp was also rumored back then to take over the role.
The film, co-starring Rooney Mara, centers on a New York advertising executive (Smith) who experiences a deep personal tragedy. His colleagues devise an unconventional plan to break him out of his depression — which works — but not in a way that anyone imagined.
The PalmStar Media and Likely Story project is produced by Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar and Bard Dorros, along with Allan Loeb, who wrote the script. Palmstar CEO Kevin Frakes will executive produce with Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Steven Pearl. Smith’s Overbrook will co-produce.
Filming on the movie is expected to start in October. Smith can be seen coming up in the Sony Pictures NFL drama Concussion and Warner Bros. Pictures’ comic book adaptation Suicide Squad.
