Will Smith is stepping into a new high-stakes role with Supermax, a propulsive action-thriller now officially set up at Amazon MGM Studios in a deal reportedly valued around $70 million.
Directed by David Gordon Green, the project will skip theaters entirely and head straight to Prime Video as part of Amazon’s global rights acquisition from Miramax. Production is currently targeting a mid-August start.
Supermax follows two FBI agents investigating a murder inside the world’s most secure prison. Smith plays Rex, one of the lead investigators, with casting still underway for his on-screen partner, a female FBI agent who will co-lead the story.
The film is described as a twist-heavy, “propulsive” thriller and marks Smith’s return to a non-franchise studio feature in recent years, outside of his long-running Bad Boys run.
The screenplay comes from David Weil and David J. Rosen, whose credits include Hunters and Invasion. The duo also bring executive producing credits alongside Natalie Laine Williams.
Producers include The Picture Company partners Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman, with Smith and Adam Fishbach producing under his Westbrook banner. Financing and packaging were brokered by CAA Media Finance.
Green, known for his work on the Halloween franchise and more recent streaming TV projects, is stepping into one of his biggest-budget films yet with Supermax.
Amazon’s move signals a strong vote of confidence in both the project and Smith’s continued box office and streaming draw. The studio has been leaning into high-profile, talent-driven features for Prime Video, and this deal sits firmly in that lane.
There was reportedly industry chatter that Supermax could have gone to Cannes for a market debut, but Amazon moved quickly to lock it in ahead of time.
Where Will Smith’s Slate Stands Now
Supermax joins a growing list of Smith projects in development, including I Am Legend 2, a new Men in Black installment, and additional original films across multiple studios. His Westbrook deal at Paramount, the long-gestating Netflix action project Fast and Loose, and Sony’s sci-fi thriller Resistor all remain in the mix.
For now, Supermax is the next one officially moving forward, though in today’s Will Smith pipeline, it is still anyone’s guess which project actually crosses the finish line first.