Will Smith drops role in $80 million action movie, recast and future remain uncertain

Will Smith drops his starring role in Sugar BanditsAn 80 million dollar action movie, creating uncertainty about a potential recast and the project overall. Based on the novel Demons in exile By Chuck Hogan, who also wrote the adapted screenplay, the film was originally announced in February 2024 and Will Smith will star as a former special forces soldier who leads an elite vigilante team working to eradicate the drug trade in Boston. Stefano Sollima (without regret, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) has signed on as director and filming is set to begin in the coming months.

Now, Smith has dropped his starring role in the roughly $80 million action movie. According to Term, Smith is out Sugar Bandits Due to scheduling conflicts. However, he and his production company, Westbrook, will remain on the big-budget project and look to re-cast Smith’s role.

Why will Smith out Sugar Bandits

& Where does the project go from here?

Smith reportedly passed out Sugar Bandits As an actor due to scheduling conflicts. however, It is currently unclear which project is causing the conflict in question. The actor is currently attached to over a dozen upcoming projects, including I am legend 2Which can now be prioritized instead of Sugar Bandits. Other projects that Smith is attached to include a Planes, trains and automobiles Remake, and the Netflix films Fast and loose And The council.

Despite exiting as an actor, Smith’s production company will remain on board Sugar Banditswhich was originally set to begin shooting in Montreal in the coming months, but has been stalled due to Smith’s uncertainty surrounding his on-screen commitment. Location scouting has already been completed and once an exact start date is confirmed, offers are expected to be extended to other actors. Smith’s production company is now looking to re-cast his role, though It still plans to release Sugar Bandits Sometime in 2025.

however, There is now some uncertainty surrounding the film’s future. In February, the roughly $80 million movie was sold globally at the European Film Market and Cannes Film Festival to major independent distributors and Amazon Prime under the assumption that Smith would star in it. After the infamous Oscars bump in 2022, Smith made a strong return at the box office this summer with Bad Boys: Ride or Diewhich grossed over $400 million worldwide, the success of which may have opened the door for a studio project larger than Sugar Bandits For Smith.

Source: Term