The Will Smith comeback tour continues with the actor attached to another upcoming actioner. “Bad Boys 4” is still filming, and an “I Am Legend” sequel with Michael B. Jordan is also on the way. But after that? Variety reports that Smith will star in “Sugar Bandits,” a Boston-set actioner thriller from the mind of Chuck Hogan, whose 2004 novel “Prince Of Thieves” was adapted into 2010’s “The Town” by Ben Affleck.
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Hogan adapts his 2010 novel “The Devil In Exile” for “Sugar Bandits,” another tale of Boston’s criminal underworld. Smith will star as an Iraq War veteran who teams up with other vets to take down Boston’s drug trade. “Sugar Bandits” currently has no director attached ,but AGC International and CAA Media Finance represent the film’s worldwide distribution rights as EFM approaches.
Smith will co-produce “Sugar Bandits” with Jon Mone through Westbrook Studios with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing. AGC fully finances the film, with Stuart Ford producing through that banner. Richard Abate also produces through 3 Arts Entertainment.
Universal first announced “Sugar Bandits” back in 2013 in the aftermath of “The Town” and its theatrical success, but the project never materialized. Now it’s another chance for Smith to return to Hollywood’s good graces. The actor has starred in only one film since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022: Antoine Fuqua‘s “Emancipation,” which Apple barely advertised after the studio made a splashy $120 million purchase of it at the 2021 Cannes market. The film quietly hit theaters on December 2, 2022, premiering on Apple TV+ a week later on December 8. Since then, Smith spent the start of 2023 as persona non grata in Hollywood before “Bad Boys 4” started production last Spring. That film hits theaters on June 14, 2024.
So who will helm “Sugar Bandits”? Expect a big name to join the film, especially if “Bad Boys 4” does well in theaters this summer. But the movie could just as easily get relegated to programmer status if Smith’s comeback tour fails badly. And that could very well happen, so let’s wait and see if Smith has indeed weathered the storm he made for himself career-wise.
