by Matt Rodgers
Will Smith has signed on to star in David Gordon Green’s prison-set action film Supermax for Amazon MGM Studios.
Per Deadline’s reportSupermax will tell the story of two FBI agents investigating a murder that’s taken place in the world’s most secure prison. Casting is already underway to fill the role of Smith’s female FBI partner.
Amazon MGM Studios closed the deal for the David Weil and David J. Rosen (Hunters) written script for approximately $70 million, with the intention of sending the high-octane thriller to streaming rather than granting the film a theatrical release.
Supermax marks another genre shift for David Gordon Green, who recently directed Amazon TV crime series Scarpetta, which followed his foray into the world of horror, resulting in the wildly successful Halloween reboot ($259 million), and the franchise non-starter that was the The Exorcist reimagining, The Exorcist: Believer ($136 million).
Despite his infamous Oscars slap the $404 million box-office performance of Bad Boys: Ride or Die proved that audiences still warm to Smith’s brand of superstar appeal, with Amazon MGM Studios backing that up by giving Gordon Green his biggest budget for a movie to date. Filming is set to get underway this summer.
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