Will Smith has come a long way from his rapper days as the ‘Fresh Prince’. His Hollywood career skyrocketed after the success of his first hit television series ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. He rose to become one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars after starring in Michael Bay’s ‘Bad Boys’, Roland Emmerich’s ‘Independence Day’ and Tony Scott’s ‘Enemy of the State’. He also showed his dramatic chops in films such as ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, ‘Seven Pounds’ and ‘Ali’. A truly versatile actor and two-time Oscar nominee, Smith is set to re-ignite the screen on fire in the upcoming ‘Focus’.
Co-starring with Smith is 24-year-old Australian beauty Margot Robbie and Brazilian Adonis Rodrigo Santoro. According to IMDb, the plot revolves around “a veteran grafter (who) takes a young, attractive woman under his wing, but things get complicated when they become romantically involved.” The film tells the story of experienced con-man Nicky (Smith) who teaches his trade to a gorgeous female (Robbie) known as Jess Barret who later becomes his protégé. After a separation of three years, both teacher and student meet again and that is when things “get complicated”.
This will be the ‘Men in Black’ star’s first R-rated film since ‘Bad Boys II’ which released back in 2003. Robbie was not originally considered for the female lead. Kristin Stewart initially accepted the role but later dropped out citing age differences with Smith. Interestingly, her replacement is three months younger. Michelle Williams, Jessica Biel, Rose Byrne and Olivia Munn were also considered for the role before Robbie was cast.
Similarly, Smith was cast after a host of leading men including Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck declined. Gosling was originally cast as Nicky and was supposed to re-unite with ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ star Emma Stone but both actors eventually left the project.
This film is also likely the first Hollywood film to get edited with Apple’s popular Final Cut Pro X. ‘Focus’ looks to be very promising considering the caliber of talent involved and gripping storyline. Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, this hotly-anticipated film is set to release February 27, 2015.