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Paramount Pictures is continuing its wave of high-profile partnerships, striking a first-look, multi-picture deal with Will Smith and his production company, Westbrook.
The agreement comes on the heels of Paramount’s merger with Skydance and signals a push for global, franchise-driven theatrical releases. Under the pact, Smith will develop and star in franchise-starter films, with projects already in motion including Sugar Bandits and Rabbit Hole.
Sugar Bandits, based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Devils in Exile, follows a former Special Forces operative leading a vigilante squad determined to dismantle Boston’s drug trade. Rabbit Hole is being written by Dune screenwriter Jon Spaihts, though plot details remain under wraps. Westbrook will also establish offices on the Paramount lot in Hollywood.
The move is another major win for Paramount under new chief David Ellison, who has been aggressively locking in top-tier talent. Just last month, the studio shocked the industry by securing a four-year deal with the Duffer Brothers, creators of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Smith and Westbrook, previously long aligned with Sony, mark a significant talent shift to Paramount. Meanwhile, the studio has also been building its content pipeline, acquiring rights to adapt Activision’s Call of Duty into a feature film and securing High Side, a James Mangold-directed project starring Timothée Chalamet.
Smith and Westbrook are represented by CAA.
