Will Smith is taking on the role of New York City crime boss Nicky Barnes in his next Netflix film, “The Council.”
According to Deadline, the project will reconnect Smith and Peter Landesman (Concussion), who wrote the screenplay for the new film and will also executive produce.
The film will tell the never-before-told story of a crime syndicate consisting of seven African-American men who ruled Harlem in the 1970s and early ’80s. The men dream of a self-sufficient and self-policing African American city-state, funded by revolutionizing the drug game.
The movie will focus on the Shakespearean court relationship between The Council’s king, Nicky Barnes, dubbed “Mr. Untouchable” by the New York Times, and the different members as one unlikely rising protégé arrives.
Nicky Barnes, born Leroy Nicholas Barnes, was an active dealer during the 1970s leading an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American mafia. He was arrested in 1978 and sentenced to life in prison. He eventually became a federal informant, which then led to the demise of the Council. Barnes died in 2012 from cancer. However, his death was recently made known due to him being under witness protection, the publication reports.
Along with Landesman, David Lee from Anonymous Nobodies will also serve as an executive producer.
No timeline has been set for the film yet.
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