Will Smith to Star in Ridley Scott-Produced Concussion Drama

The NFL probably can't wait for the next season to begin because it serves as a distraction from the deeper issues they face. One of those problems that has become a topic of discussion again is concussions, and the devastating impact they have on a player's long-term health. Dan Marino and a number of other players filed a class-action suit against the league for not doing everything possible to prevent concussions from happening. And while Marino has dropped out of that suit, the issue still lingers and now Hollywood is going to put it in the spotlight.

Will Smith is set to star in an adaptation of Jeanne Marie Laskas GQ article, Brain Game, about whistleblowing neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu "who single-handedly made the first discovery of CTE in a professional football player and brought awareness to the public". Smith will play Omalu in what is being described as similar to The Insider, the acclaimed whistleblower drama that earned seven Oscar nominations. Comparisons like that are probably a reason why Smith dropped out of Brilliance for this project.

This is the same project Ridley Scott was attached to direct last year, but he will simply produce with Peter Landesman (Parkland) writing the script and taking the helm. The NFL might want to start getting their PR people ready because this only one of a number of concussion films on the way. Isaiah Washington will be starring in Game Time Decision (formerly The Last Fall), that is expected to beat out Scott's film and also deals with a football player dealing with concussion symptoms. [Variety]