Will Smith In Talks For BRILLIANCE

Will Smith is in early talks for his next film appearance, the lead role in The Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures adaptation of the Marcus Sakey novel Brilliance. Sakey’s novel tells the story of an alternate history in which some people, called “brilliants,” are born with extraordinary mental powers. Smith will star as a federal agent who is also a brilliant who is tasked with hunting down another brilliant, a terrorist intent on fomenting a civil war.

David Koepp is scripting the adaptation with Julius Onah set to direct.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the studio is looking at turning this into a franchise for Smith. It certainly feels high concept enough to do so and the novel is the first in a planned literary trilogy. And if Smith is enthusiastic about this project’s franchise potential, I can see how that enthusiasm may have influenced his recent decision not to participate in Independence Day 2, a film that would probably be more limiting in terms of future work than Brilliance and a franchise could provide.

Via The Wrap.