Will Smith is in negotiations to star in the Ang Lee-directed Gemini Man, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Skydance action thriller will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. According to the THR, the story “centers on an aging assassin who tried to get out of the business but finds himself in the ultimate battle: fighting his own clone who is 25 years younger than him and at the peak of his abilities.”
Pitched by Darren Lemke (Goosebumps, Turbo) in 1997, Gemini Man was originally planned for the late Tony Scott to direct with Don Murphy producing. A later iteration would have seen the late Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) directing, while another put Joe Carnahan (The Grey, The A-Team) at the helm. Writers on the project have included David Benioff, Brian Helgeland and Andrew Niccol, with stars like Mel Gibson being eyed for the lead. A few years ago, Carnahan even uploaded a pitch reel for an iteration he was working on with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. As you can see in the player below, he envisioned Clint Eastwood in the leading role.
While films like Rian Johnson‘s Looper have dealt with similar plotlines, one of the reasons Gemini Man has had a hard time getting off the ground is because it has always intended to set a single actor in both roles, making use of cutting-edge visual effects. That certainly suits Ang Lee, who has recently been working with FX-heavy projects like Life of Pi, while pushing technological boundaries with HFR on his recent Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Will Smith’s deal is not done yet for the film, with scheduling still to be figured out. He’s also in talks to play the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin.
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