Will Smith Attached to Star in JOE, a Modern Version of the Biblical Story of Job

[Ale]

We are still over a year away from the May 25, 2012 release of Men in Black III, the official end to Will Smith’s three-and-a-half year hiatus from movies following Seven Pounds. Smith is attached to about a dozen projects that could be his next: an Annie remake with daughter Willow, the epic-sounding The City That Sailed (we were this close), the Wachowski Robin Hood re-imagining Hood. Two other candidates suggest his Smith has kept his nose in the Good Book. There’s The Legend of Cain, a vampiric take on the story of Cain and Abel, and Joe, a modern version of the harrowing tale of Job.

Screenwriting team Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson (The Fighter) sold Joe to Sony Pictures and Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment; Smith is attached to star. In a recent interview, Tamasy spoke about their approach to updating the Biblical story, and revealed the studio wants to sign The Fighter director David O. Russell to helm Joe. Read what Tamasy had to say after the jump.

Eric D. Snider and Jeff Bayer brought Tamasy on to their Movie B.S. podcast to talk about The Fighter and tonight’s Oscar ceremony. (And lots about Air Bud, which Tamasy also wrote.) But the writer was very open when the subject of Joe came up:

Tamasy: We sold a project to Sony with Overbrook and Will Smith. It’s a modern version of the story of Job.

Snider: Will Will Smith be playing Job?

Tamasy: He’ll be playing “Joe.” The movie’s called Joe. It’s about a man [who is living] the American dream. He’s got the nice house, white picket fence, great kids, great wife, nice cars. God and the devil get together every thousand years to bet on a man’s life, and the fate of the world is at stake.

What all of us get hit with in a lifetime, this man gets hit with in one week. And it’s about whether or not he can still pick himself up from that and survive it. It’s a dramedy. At it’s heart, it’s a comedy — but it’s got, obviously, a real dramatic core to it.

http://collider.com/will-smith-joe-job/78131/

[VIsqo]

Wow this sounds like a good idea, what do yall think?

[gosia]

it sounds interesting but JOE??? how about TOM??? lol

[Jin]

The story sounds good, but the name of the movie is just whack! :-)
The other movies Hood, Legend of Cain and the Annie remake are also interesting.
I would love to see Will in Bad Boys 3 and the Last Pharaoh.

[Ale]

I would love to see Will in Bad Boys 3 and the Last Pharaoh.

Word! These are the best ideas for me too.

[VIsqo]

If Tom Cruise was a christian this would be the perfect role for him. This would be a REAL STORY lol

[Turntable]

.... Job is the most terrible Bible story, I hated it so much in school, it realy made me question religion, gotta give the "authors" credit for even putting it in there