Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Will Smith is gearing up to star in a new film for Warner Bros. titled Focus.
According to Indie Wire, the project was initially written with actors Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the lead roles. However, Gosling had a scheduling conflict which left producers scrambling. Now, they’ve cast Smith as the lead actor with a lead actress yet to be announced.
Focus will center on an inexperienced female con artist who teams up with a more season con artist. This is Smith’s second time playing a trickster. His first time was in the film, Six Degrees of Separation which was inspired by real-life con artist, the late David Hampton.
Actress Garcelle Beauvais is starring in Leila Djansi’s latest offering And Then There Was You. The project is a follow up to her 2011 film, Ties that Bind, which starred Kimberly Elise.
THR is reporting that Beauvais will play a teacher who moves on with her life after her husband leaves. When she falls for a new man, she discovers he, too, may have secrets that could end their promising relationship.
The film also stars veteran actress, Lynn Whitfield, along with Greg Vaughn, Leon Robinson, Kate Nauta and Trilby Glover. Production begins next month in L.A.
Lastly, Philly.com is reporting that jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard has been tapped to compose the background music for Kasi Lemmon’s Black Nativity. Blanchard, who has scored numerous films for Spike Lee, is working alongside Raphael Saadiq, who is writing music for the film.
Black Nativity is a retelling of the Langston Hughes’ classic Broadway musical and stars Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. The story centers on a young black teen that is sent to Harlem for the Christmas holiday and learns the real meaning of faith and family. The project also features Tyrese Gibson, Luke James, Jacob Latimore and Nas.
