Will Smith is headed back to Netflix, where he’ll star as Harlem crime boss Nicky Barnes in the film, The Council.

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The official description: “The Council is the never-before-told story of a crime syndicate consisting of seven African-American men who ruled Harlem in the 1970s and early 80s. No ordinary crime syndicate–the men dreamed of a self-sufficient and self-policing African American city-state, funded by revolutionizing the drug game. The movie centers on the Shakespearean court intrigue between The Council’s king, Nicky Barnes, dubbed ‘Mr. Untouchable’ by the New York Times, and all the different members as one unlikely rising protégé emerges.”

Here’s also some real-life information about Barnes, revealed by the streamer: “Barnes, whose [cause of death] death was recently made known, was an American crime boss, active in New York City during the 1970s who led an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American Mafia, until his arrest in 1978. Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment, eventually becoming a federal informant.”

This isn’t the first portrayal of Barnes on screen. He was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in 2007’s American Gangster and Sean Combs in 2005’s Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power.

Peter Landesman, who wrote the script for and directed Smith in Concussion, is writing this film. No director is attached right now.

Smith is pretty busy as of late, with Gemini Man, Bad Boys for Life and the animated flick Spies in Disguise, all coming soon. He is back at Netflix where he starred in 2017’s Bright.

READ MORE:

‘Bad Boys For Life’ Trailer: Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Are Back In Long-Awaited Third And Final Film

Photo: Getty Images

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