Italian filmmaker Stefano Sollima will helm the upcoming action-thriller, Sugar Bandits, starring Will Smith as an Iraq War veteran. Inspired by Chuck Hogan’s 2010 novel, The Devils In Exile, the film will revolve around Smith’s character who teams up with an elite squad of veterans to target a drug trade in Boston. Additional castings will be announced soon.
Sollima is best known for directing action flicks such as Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) and Without Remorse (2021). The former project is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario (2015), while the latter film is based on Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel of the same name. Apart from these, he helmed popular Italian films like ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards (2012), Suburra (2015), and Adagio (2023).
CAA Media Finance and AGC International will take care of the movie’s distribution rights, and commence sales at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The production may begin in the fall.
Will Smith’s last action-thriller was Emancipation (2022), directed by Antoine Fuqua for the Apple TV+ streaming platform. His forthcoming collaboration with Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, will arrive in theatres globally on June 7, 2024.
Sugar Bandits is the production of Will Smith and Jon Mone’s Westbrook Studios. In addition, Richard Abate will produce the project for 3 Arts Entertainment and Stuart Ford will do the same for AGC Studios. Stay tuned for more updates.