Let's Face It - Will Smith Is Going To Play a Marvel Charactor, So Which One

[R_Hythlodeus]

while the Fresh Prince might not be a bad actor he played in pretty bad movies like Hancock or I Am Legend. people are not that forgiving, they associate him more with this kind of crappy movies and les with good movies like Ali. This and his annoying brats are probably why no one outside the US wants to see him anymore.

 

[SuperFerret]

How has Smith faded for being the summer blockbuster king? As already pointed out, Hancock, his last summer film, did big business. The 'fading' is a result of him just not making a summer movie for several years. Has nothing to do with him actually making a summer film that was a financial disappointment. But I think the success of Karate Kid continues building the Smith brand.

Hancock was 2008. Preceded by I Am Legend in 2007. Preceded by I, Robot in 2004. (We're talking summer blockbusters here.) That's kind of sparse compared to the back to back to back King of Summer that we got in the mid to late 90's with Bad Boys, ID4, MIB, Enemy of the State, and Wild Wild West.

Also, I'd like for you to point out where I said that he's faded from that title for financial reasons?

 

[cherokeesam]

while the Fresh Prince might not be a bad actor he played in pretty bad movies like Hancock or I Am Legend. people are not that forgiving, they associate him more with this kind of crappy movies and les with good movies like Ali. This and his annoying brats are probably why no one outside the US wants to see him anymore.

Will you people please stop spreading b.s. about Hancock and I Am Legend being "bad, crappy, unforgivable movies?" Again: I Am Legend --- $585 million global. Hancock --- $624 million global. That puts Hancock as the THIRD biggest superhero marquee name in box office history behind *only* Batman and Spidey. Marvel and DC can only *dream* about getting that kind of box office....and that's off of a completely ORIGINAL, unestablished hero.

And yes, Will has been on hiatus (acting-wise) since '08....doesn't mean he won't bring in 9-digit b.o. again in the next two years with The Last Pharaoh and sequels to Men In Black and Bad Boys.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

Will you people please stop spreading b.s. about Hancock and I Am Legend being "bad, crappy, unforgivable movies?" Again: I Am Legend --- $585 million global. Hancock --- $624 million global.

Totally irrelevant. I was talking of the quality of the movies, not their financial success. Two totally different things. Have you ever heard someone say: "Oh, let's go to the new movie of actor xy, his last movie made 600 mio global!"? That's not how it works in real life.
Hancock had a somewhat good premise but a horrible second half. I lost all interest in the movie from the moment he left prison. From then the whole movie fell apart. I Am Legend had a very thin plot, atrocious sfx and a desastrous third act. Those two movies simply were not good. How much money they made does not matter.

 

[Captain Marvel]

Your opinion hardly speaks for the general audience, though. Given that those movies made that much money, that indicates that the general audiences did like them, otherwise word of mouth would've killed them on subsequent weekends. And according to Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of respondents liked I Am Legend while 67% liked Hancock. So whatever your opinion of those movies may be, the general audience feels otherwise. And if you honestly think people are going to be saying to themselves "I'm not going to see Will Smith's latest summer movie because of I Am Legend or Hancock" then you're deluded.

As for Will Smith in a Marvel movie, I definitely like the idea of a Blue Marvel movie. Especially if it's a period piece like Captain America or X-Men: First Class. It'd be pretty slick seeing Will Smith playing a superhero during the 60's before bringing his character into modern times.

 

[Iron Mandarin]

Keep him away from anything Marvel. Sorry,not a fan.

 

[Raiden]

Will Smith will NEVER star in a Marvel superhero movie, but in a way he has already make a movie based on a Marvel comic book, since MIB is from Malibu Comics (which is an imprint of Marvel).

 

[DarKush]

Hancock was 2008. Preceded by I Am Legend in 2007. Preceded by I, Robot in 2004. (We're talking summer blockbusters here.) That's kind of sparse compared to the back to back to back King of Summer that we got in the mid to late 90's with Bad Boys, ID4, MIB, Enemy of the State, and Wild Wild West.

Also, I'd like for you to point out where I said that he's faded from that title for financial reasons?

You said he faded. You didn't describe what you meant by fading. So I assumed that you might have been talking about his box office punch. As it stands, even though he hasn't been making as many movies as he did in the 90s perhaps, he doesn't have to. He established a track record. For me, the thing is when he comes out in a summer movie, even in the 2000s, so far he hasn't had a flop. Going back even Wild Wild West made money. So I didn't see it as an issue of fading at all.

 

[SuperFerret]

Why the hell would I be talking about box office? And the fact that he's not doing a big movie every summer is a good enough wrench in the "he's going to play a Marvel character for sure" idea.

 

[MucasMan]

Will Smith is a great actor and should get himself involed, somehow, in the Marvel Universe, even if it's a cameo. Hancock was OK, but doing a Marvel charactor is more prestigious. It's like an actor taking less money for a role, if he/she gets to work with thier favorite director. It's like Woopi Goldberg playing a small role as Guinin in "Star Trek, The Next Generation," because she wanted a person of color to be represented in the future.

 

[hippie_hunter]

while the Fresh Prince might not be a bad actor he played in pretty bad movies like Hancock or I Am Legend. people are not that forgiving, they associate him more with this kind of crappy movies and les with good movies like Ali. This and his annoying brats are probably why no one outside the US wants to see him anymore.

Let's compare his box office grosses:

I, Robot (2004)
Domestic: $145 million
Worldwide: $202 million

Hitch (2005)
Domestic: $179 million
Worldwide: $189 million

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Domestic: $164 million
Worldwide: $144 million

I Am Legend (2007)
Domestic: $256 million
Worldwide: $329 million

Hancock (2008)
Domestic: $228 million
Worldwide: $396 million

Seven Pounds (2008)
Domestic: $70 million
Worldwide: $98 million
Yeah, people sure are punishing Will Smith for ****** movies, especially outside the US where his films outgross the domestic box office by a large margin, especially with his more recent ones. People are pretty forgiving for ****** movies. They are really, really, REALLY forgiving. It's why Transformers is a box office success.

 

[MucasMan]

Well, there you have it. Every once in a while, an actor will take on a role that, athough makes less money, gives the actor more depth and more prestege, and Seven Pounds is a good example of that, because it was he's best role of the 6 above, even though it was a * * * * * * movie, whatever that is.

 

[psylockolussus]

Seven Pounds wasn't even a Summer movie.

 

[batpirisss]

Please God no!

 

[MucasMan]

So, if we are rating the quality and giving credence to a movie based on gross sales, what about this triumph of cinamatic excellence?

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Total Lifetime Grosses</B>
Domestic: $146,336,178 79.8%+ Foreign: $36,956,953 20.2%= Worldwide: $183,293,131

 

[Chris Wallace]

Will Smith, sooner or later, is going to get a Marvel Character role, so which one?

Here's My Top Five List

Power Man/Luke Cage

Bucky Battlestar

Black Panther

Deathlok

Falcon

I don't think it's a given, I don't even think it's likely, and I don't think he's a good fit for any of those.

 

[War.]

Well firstly it's not a given. But if Big Willy was to sign up for a Marvel movie I wouldn't want him to tackle ANY of the black heroes already mentioned because his acting style simply wouldn't fit any of them. And an Isiah Bradley movie?! Really?!

But, if I had to cast him as a Marvel character it'd probably be Luke Cage, just for the wise cracking / ass kicking style Smith seems so good at.

 

[Hypestyle]

curious.. it would be a shock if Will and Marvel hooked up, for the aforementioned money reasons.. I guess we'll see.. I don't see him opting for a sidekick situation.. Blue Marvel maybe, but assuming it's based on the original comic, there's the blatant racial politics of the story, which Smith has downplayed in his action films (Wild Wild West, Hancock).. same thing for Isaiah Bradley/The Truth..
on another note, it would be interesting if he were to get involved as a producer with Marvel, partnering to develop a project(s) for TV or film for someone else.. Cloak & Dagger, Young Avengers, Heroes for Hire..

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

on another note, it would be interesting if he were to get involved as a producer with Marvel, partnering to develop a project(s) for TV or film for someone else.. Cloak & Dagger, Young Avengers, Heroes for Hire..

You know that that would automatically mean that his son would play Patriot, right?

 

[chiefchirpa]

I say again it should be Blue Marvel.

Blue Marvel is more or less a clean slate character where Will Smith could create his own rendition of the superhero. The character is revered and conflicted, it's up to Smith to make him convincing.

 

[Captain Marvel]

Blue Marvel would be nice, but far from it being a certainty that he's going to play a character, I'm thinking it's far more certain that he won't play a character. There's no way Marvel's going to pay him his fee across multiple films. This IS Marvel, after all, which has already demonstrated they're horrific cheapskates when it comes to paying the people they employ. And putting him into an Avengers movie would be right out, as they already have the fees for all the other Avengers, RDJ, Hemsworth, Evans, and so on to pay out. So yeah, I'm thinking Will Smith will likely never be cast in any role, not even if he wants one, due to his fees. Even if he's willing to drop his fee to do a movie, well, once again, we're talking multiple movies. He may be willing to drop his fee for one movie, but a series of them? Not going to happen.

 

[Chris Wallace]

The thing that annoys me most about this thread is that the characters mentioned in the opening post only have one thing in common with Willard, and that's that they're all black. That isn't grounds enough for casting somebody and hell, when you look at Kingpin, Heimdall, Nick Fury and Alicia Masters, it's not even necessarily a prerequisite. The one comic book character Will's already played is actually white in the comics.

 

[Blade X]

I think that Smith would be perfect to play the following Marvel characters.

Falcon
Blur (from the New Universe series DP7)
Blue Marvel (if the movie is set in the 60's)
Top Spin (or his grandfather, the Human Top)

 

[Gamma Ra]

Well firstly it's not a given. But if Big Willy was to sign up for a Marvel movie I wouldn't want him to tackle ANY of the black heroes already mentioned because his acting style simply wouldn't fit any of them. And an Isiah Bradley movie?! Really?!

Yeah Really. What's the problem with an Isaiah Bradley film?

 

[mjdiddy1]

I don't see Will as fit for any character outside of Isaiah Bradley because he has the acting chops to bring the emotional aspect out of the character as well as the ability to perform the physical aspects of an action movie. With that being said:
1. An Isaiah Bradley: The Real First Avenger will never be made because of lack knowledge and interest by the general audience (i.e non-comic/fanboys). Also, if it were to be done it would have been done before Captain America or incorporated into Captain America which for the money Marvel wanted to spend would not allow for a major Hollywood player such as Will Smith to participate. The roll would have went to Idris Elba or Tyrese because it would have been small.
2. Will Smith would take a paycut to be in a Marvel film but he would have to get something in return such as top billing, a portion of the ticket sales and/or product royalties and so forth...something Marvel would surely back away from because they know no matter how horrible the film turns out Will Smith is gold at the box office.