The return of Will Smith to the screen is continuing to gain momentum with the announcement of his forthcoming role as legendary NYC crime boss Nicky Barnes, Collider reports.
The film is titled The Council and will put Smith in the role of “Mr. Untouchable.” The upcoming movie will also reunite Smith with Peter Landesman, the writer of the Concussion film.
The Council will tell the story of a crime syndicate made up of seven African-American bosses that ran Harlem in the 1970s and 80s. the aim of the group was to create a self-sufficient and policing city-state for Blacks funded through the drug game.
Nicky Barnes was sentenced to life behind bars without parole but flipped on his associates after they, in his opinion, mistreated the empire they collaborated on together. Barnes was in witness protection and dead in 2012.
EXCITING NEWS Y’ALL!
Will Smith is set to produce and star as Nicky Barnes in “THE COUNCIL” – the never-before-told story of the Harlem-based crime syndicate that set out to create Black equity and self-sufficiency during the 1970s and early 80s. pic.twitter.com/iVt6C0cckx
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) September 24, 2019
