Will Smith in Talks for Another Sci-Fi Film; Hopefully Doesn't Include His Kid Again

There was a time when a Will Smith science-fiction movie would clean up. The Men in Black movies and Independence Day proved that.Then came last year's After Earth. Thanks to a Scientology-tinged script and Smith's attempt to turn his son into a movie star, After Earth was a dismal failure. That doesn't mean Smith is done trying to find a way to return to the genre. According to TheWrap, the actor is in talks to star in Brilliance.

Julius Onah, who'll make his directorial debut with God Particle, will direct Brilliance from a script by David Koepp.

Set in a world where some people called “brilliants” are born with heightened cognitive abilities, the story follows a federal agent whose extraordinary gift makes him exceptional at hunting terrorists.

The novel was published by Thomas and Mercer, an imprint of Amazon, in August 2013. “Brilliance” is the first of a planned three-book series, with the second book set to be released later this year.

If Smith can pick the right roles and resist the temptation to include Jaden Smith in his movies, Brilliance and other sci-fi films could be his path back to box office glory. We saw Tom Cruise follow this game plan with last year's Oblivion and we'll continue to see Cruise stick to that plan with this year's Edge of Tomorrow. At least Cruise hasn't tried to use his famous name to push his kids into stardom. I can't emphasize enough how Smith needs to avoid doing that again.