Will Smith as the "Last Pharaoh"...?

[john m roberts]

Afrocentrism needn't explain Will Smith's casting. Taharqa belonged to the brief Nubian Dynasty that ruled Egypt just before the end of the Pharaonic period.

[Praefectusclassis]

weren't Antony and Cleopatra's ships at actium generally larger and heavier than Octavian's?

The presentation of that part of the Actium story smacks of propaganda though. It's a yes, but...

[Narukami]

Afrocentrism needn't explain Will Smith's casting. Taharqa belonged to the brief Nubian Dynasty that ruled Egypt just before the end of the Pharaonic period.

Indeed, it is not Afrocentrism at all, but Capitalism that explains the casting of Mr. Smith.

You want your summer movie to open BIG, then cast Will -- he has not failed yet.

As we all know, this is Show Business, plain and simple. That any cinematic art emerges from Hollywood at all is just a happy coincidence.

As Louis B Mayer is reported to have said (and this is as much fable as fact):

If you want art go to a museum
If you want to send a message call Western Union
If you want history go to school
This is Show Business kid.
Show mw the Money!

(I made some of that up :oops: )

:wink:

Narukami

[Carlton Bach]

Afrocentrism needn't explain Will Smith's casting. Taharqa belonged to the brief Nubian Dynasty that ruled Egypt just before the end of the Pharaonic period.

The casting is actually good. I suspect, though, that Afrocentrism will explain a lot of the script.

Of course I could be totally off and we will see dark, bearded, fanatic Assyrians who speak in guttural tones and force women to wear veils and chop off the heads of hostages fight light-skinned, enlightened, freedom-loving Egyptians. Hollywood is only predictable in that they don't get it right.

[Jona Lendering]

Hollywood is only predictable in that they don't get it right.

Come to think of it, which movies are more or less reliable? I love Spartacus and think it is not the worst of all movies. The weaknesses of Stone's Alexander are manyfold, but the props are fine. I would love a movie about Alexander's siege of Tyre - a splendid story that can easily be used to show how tragic conflicts can be, and how cruel people can become, while fighting a war that was best avoided.

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

To quote Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith.....


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

M.VIB.M.

[Morrighan]

LOL :lol:

That's what I thought...

I do like Will Smith..but I have my doubts about him as a Pharaoh . Or is this going to be a comedy?

[Carlton Bach]

Or is this going to be a comedy?

Probably.

Oh, you meant intentionally?

[Morrighan]

yeah, is this really gonna be a comedy? Because I'm used to him like that I guess

[Jona Lendering]

Ok, we had our fun, but actually, we are stereotyping. Will Smith is not stupid. He probably knows very well that, when he is making a movie that deals with a piece of black history, controversy is bound to occur. He will probably be careful when he says yes to a role, and will have asked someone to see whether the Sabaqa script is acceptable. He can not allow himself to become a figurehead of Afro-Centrist pseudohistory, as that will be the end of his career.

[Narukami]

Quite right.

Will Smith is a very savvy actor and is considered Box Office Gold -- He can "Open" a summer film and it will do better than OK. The studios can bank on him and that is worth a lot in this business. It gives him a lot of power and control over his own films and his life in the Industry.

I do not think this new film has anything at all to do with Afro-centrism. Perhaps I am being naive, but based on who the screenwriter is; this is about creating a "Ripping Yarn" that will sell popcorn (and perhaps action figures) and not about writing or re-writing history.

That is not to say that groups will not take advantage of the film to flog their own horse be it Afro-centrism, or Euro-centrism or the Gods of ancient Egypt.

Do any of us here take the film Gladiator as a reflection of ancient Roman History?

Or Troy for that matter?

Or the Mummy with Brendon Frasier? (Although I did like the early scenes -- ancient Egypt looked great.)

Of course, as we all know, film has incredible power to influence and often that which is committed to film becomes the new Gospel regardless of history or reality.

Thus are there many people right now who are absolutely certain that Commodus murdered his father because they saw it up on the big screen (or on TV).

No doubt Will Smith will make an entertaining film (Hancock not withstanding) -- The real question is how it will be used by others.

:?

Narukami

[Praefectusclassis]

Does anyone have the address for the press agency for Smith, Wallace or the studio?

[Athena Areias]

Overbrook Entertainment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Telephone and fax
Tel: 310 432 2400
Fax: 310 432 2401

International Dialling Code: +1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address
450 N Roxbury Drive
4th Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90210
USA


(Google is your friend)

[Narukami]

Will Smith was in the film Six Degrees of Separation and those degrees seem to be working here in that one of the principals involved in Pharaoh is also working on making a film of the latest Steven Pressfield novel -- Killing Rommel. Perhaps they will have more luck getting Rommel onto film than Clooney had doing the same with Leonidas...

(Or if Rommel goes and is a hit then perhaps that will spur interest in Gates and Tides. We can hope.)

[size=150:1o47v5r1]Will Smith puts on 'Pharaoh' hat[/size]
Randall Wallace to write Columbia drama
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Smith


Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz will produce for Overbrook Entertainment.

Smith, who has long wanted to play the pharaoh, brought Wallace the Taharqa story.

The film will focus on his battles with Assyrian leader Esarhaddon starting in 677 B.C.

Smith next stars for Columbia in "Seven Pounds," a reteam with "Pursuit of Happyness" director Gabriele Muccino that Overbrook produced with Escape Artists.

Wallace will next direct a Mike Rich-scripted Disney film about Triple Crown-winning racehorse Secretariat and its owner, Penny Chenery. He also just signed on to a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Disney adaptation of the WWII battle saga "Killing Rommel," which Wallace will write with author Steven Pressfield.

IF Columbia Pictures remains the releasing studio / distributor then they will handle the publicity.

Will Smith's company, Overbrook Entertainment will be one of the producers. They are located in Beverly Hills.

Overbrook Entertainment
450 North Roxbury Drive 4th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

:wink:

Narukami

[Praefectusclassis]

Thanks guys!