Will Smith set to Star in a retelling of the Biblical story of Job
Will Smith is set to star in a new film called Joe, which is a retelling of the biblical story of Job. The movie comes from the screenwriter's of The Fighter, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, and the film is set up and being produced at Sony Pictures and Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment.
In a recent interview, Tamasy talked about their approach to updating the Biblical story, and said that the studio wants to bring on The Fighter director David O. Russell to direct the film. Here's how the conversation went in an interview with Movie B.S. in which he goes into some details on the story and what it's about.
Tamasy: We sold a project to Sony with Overbrook and Will Smith. It’s a modern version of the story of Job.
Snider: Will Will Smith be playing Job?
Tamasy: He’ll be playing “Joe.” The movie’s called Joe. It’s about a man [who is living] the American dream. He’s got the nice house, white picket fence, great kids, great wife, nice cars. God and the devil get together every thousand years to bet on a man’s life, and the fate of the world is at stake.
What all of us get hit with in a lifetime, this man gets hit with in one week. And it’s about whether or not he can still pick himself up from that and survive it. It’s a dramedy. At it’s heart, it’s a comedy — but it’s got, obviously, a real dramatic core to it.
That sounds like it will make for an interesting movie. I really don't see the story of Job as a comedy, for those of you that know the story its' extreamly depressing and sad. Here's a little description from Wikipedia.
The Book of Job begins with an introduction to Job’s character — he is described as a blessed man who lives righteously. Satan challenges Job’s integrity, proposing to God that Job serves him simply because God protects him. God removes Job’s protection, allowing Satan to take his wealth, his children, and his physical health in order to tempt Job to curse God. Despite his difficult circumstances, he does not curse God, but rather curses the day of his birth.
This is a role we all know Smith can easily handle, with films like I Am Legend and The Pursuit of Happieness under his belt, this type of role should be second nature for him.
What are your thoughts on Smith taking on this Job type role?