Will Smith Gets Epic With “The Last Pharaoh”
It seems that everybody is getting their turn at historical epics these days, and nowWill Smithis going to have his chance withThe Last Pharaoh. Working with a script byBraveheartscreenwriter Randall Wallace, Smith is set to play the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa—who is most famous for defending ancient Egypt against invasions by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon. The film will apparently focus on this conflict.
The Last Pharaohwas initially announcedback in Marchwith a script by Carl Franklin (Out of Time,Devil in a Blue Dress), but obviously things went awry. Franklin’s screenwriting history is fairly thin, and the closest he’s come to an epic film is directing an episode ofRome, so the film is probably better off in the hands of Wallace.
While inconsistent (Wallace also wroteThe Man in the Iron Mask, andPearl Harbor), he has at least proven he knows what makes a good epic screenplay. As for Smith, I can’t quite picture him in a massive historical epic—but then again maybe that’s just because he’s not Orlando Bloom.
My excitement for this film will rest primarily on who they choose to direct. Honestly, I’m a bit burned out on the genre—and I fear general audiences may be as well—after the recent failures ofTroyandAlexander. I loved theKingdom of Heavendirector’s cut, but the versionmostaudiences saw in theaters was still somewhat weak.300sort of brought audiences back to the genre, but obviously it can’t justifiably be compared to realistic epics. I just hope whoever they choose to direct this film can do something beyond more of the same.
Source: VarietyDiscuss: Do you think Will Smith is due for his own historical epic? Are you still excited for the genre?
