With Hugh Jackman's commitments to The Wolverine 3 forcing him to drop out of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) next film, Collateral Beauty, the search was on to find another A-lister to replace him. Most recently Johnny Depp's name emerged as a likely contender, but instead it looks like it will be another comic book movie star, Will Smith.
Smith, who is set to play Deadshot in DC's Suicide Squad film, is in talks to join Rooney Mara in Collateral Beauty, a film about a depressed New York man and his friends who go to unusual lengths to break him out of his funk. The plan works, but in a way none of them could have expected. Jason Segel (The End of the Tour) was also said to be up for a role, but he isn't mentioned in THR's recent update so things might have changed.
It's been awhile since Smith has been the box office star he used to be, and it's been even longer since he starred in this kind of feel-good film. Suicide Squad may make a lot more money but it will be films like Collateral Beauty that could remind people why they liked him so much in the first place.
