While working on my 2017 black cinema outlook piece, scrubbing IMDB pages for research, I came across the above on-set image of Will Smith and Joel Edgerton in what will be Smith’s next feature film titled “Bright,” which is currently shooting.

Smith reteams with his “Suicide Squad” director David Ayer on “Bright,” which was scripted by Max Landis.




Full details on “Bright” are still underwraps at the moment, other than a circulating description of the film as a futuristic cop thriller with fantastical elements, set in a world where orcs and fairies live among humans. I can’t help but think of another Will Smith interracial buddy-action-adventure movie with fantastical elements – namely, the “Men in Black” franchise of movies; although he appears to be partnered up with an orc in this one played by Edgerton, based on the above image which I found on the film’s IMDB page.

Netflix picked up the film earlier this year, paying a reported $90 million for it. I assume they plan to release it both in theaters and on the SVOD platform as they’ve done other films they acquired.

Will Smith can currently be seen in “Collateral Beauty” which is in theaters.

“Bright” doesn’t have a release date yet, but at the moment, IMDB has it among its 2017 premieres.