Sony Pictures has announced that Will Smith will star alongside his son Jaden Smith in M. Night Shyamalan’s next film, the sci-fi project once known as One Thousand A.E. The project was first announced last year as being produced under Smith’s production company, but it seemed unlikely that the megastar would play a role in the film. That has changed. Set a thousand years after Earth has been abandoned, the film follows a young boy who has to navigate the now empty planet after his space ship crash lands with his father on board. According to the Deadline story it looks as though Shyamalan has also written a few drafts of the screenplay with Gary Whitta, who at first was the only writer on the project – or so we were told.
This is exciting news that hopefully speaks to the strength of the script and the potential of the film. Will Smith is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet and arguably the biggest star Shyamalan has worked with. Not since Signs has Shyamalan had such a blockbuster cast, although it unclear how large Will Smith’s role is exactly. Here’s to hoping that M. Night Shyamalan can save face with his return into the realm of sci-fi.