Will Smith has found a new studio home. The Oscar winner and his Westbrook banner, co-run with Jada Pinkett Smith, have signed a first-look, multi-picture deal with Paramount Pictures.
The partnership centers on developing global, four-quadrant theatrical films, with a focus on franchise plays and IP-driven projects designed as starring vehicles for Smith. Westbrook will now be based on the Paramount lot in Hollywood.
Two projects are already in motion under the pact: Sugar Bandits and Rabbit Hole. Based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Devils in Exile, Sugar Bandits follows a former special forces soldier who leads a vigilante squad targeting Boston’s drug trade. The script is penned by Hogan with Stefano Sollima (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) attached to direct.
We previously reported that Smith stepped down from starring in Sugar Bandits due to scheduling conflicts. However, he and Westbrook remain attached as producers, ensuring the project continues to move forward as part of the Paramount slate.
The second project, Rabbit Hole, will be penned by Dune writer Jon Spaihts, though plot details remain under wraps.
The deal marks another major win for Paramount, which has been on a streak of luring big-name talent. In recent weeks, the studio has inked a multiyear pact with Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers, secured a $7.7 billion UFC rights deal, and announced a film adaptation of the blockbuster video game series Call of Duty.
Smith previously collaborated with Paramount and Skydance on the action thriller Gemini Man. Smith most recently starred in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which grossed over $400 million globally, cementing his Hollywood comeback. He also has I Am Legend sequel with Michael B. Jordan in development, teased Hancock sequel as well as Men in Black sequel and is attached to star in Fast and Loose over at Netflix.