Will Smith signs a brand new first-look deal with Paramount to develop franchises, details of the deal explored 

Will Smith just made his next career move loud and clear. His production banner Westbrook has inked a first-look, multi-picture deal with Paramount. The deal has been made to develop big, franchise-ready theatrical films, many of them based on studio-owned IP and positioned as starring vehicles for Smith.

Fresh off its $8 billion Skydance merger, Paramount is flexing hard. The studio snagged Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers from Netflix and dropped $7.7 billion to secure UFC rights for seven years, signaling an aggressive push to dominate both scripted and live-event entertainment.

Sources say the pact is built around launching “four-quadrant” tentpoles and franchise starters , think global scope, recognizable IP, and films designed to turn into recurring series rather than one-off prestige gigs. Westbrook will operate closely with Paramount and will have a presence on the studio lot as part of the arrangement.

Early titles floated in industry reports include adaptations such as Sugar Bandits, reportedly based on the Chuck Hogan novel, and other projects long whispered about as Will Smith vehicles.

More details about Will Smith's career

Will Smith is moving like a man on a mission, and the mission is reinvention. Hollywood’s original blockbuster king isn’t just acting anymore, he’s multitasking like a whole studio unto himself. The actor did take a break from acting and has been working on fewer projects as of now, mostly because of his Oscars controversy and getting boycotted by fans. But it seems Smith is changing gears and trying something new.

First up, the badge came back out of storage. Bad Boys: Ride or Die paired Smith with Martin Lawrence once again as Miami’s most chaotic detectives. Between explosions, conspiracies, and laugh-out-loud banter, the fourth installment stormed theaters, grossing $405 million worldwide. Not bad for a franchise some thought was past its prime.

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Then came the plot twist: the music. After nearly twenty years of silence, Smith dropped You Can Make It, a soulful single that set the stage for collabs with Jaden, Russ, and Joyner Lucas. The crescendo? His fifth studio album, Based on a True Story, equal parts vulnerable diary and comeback flex. Stadium crowds felt it too when he performed at the CONCACAF Nations League final, proving he can still command an arena, mic in hand.

But the film slate’s no less electric. Will Smith is teaming up with Michael B. Jordan for an I Am Legend sequel, diving into sci-fi with Brilliance and Resistor, and quietly plotting new franchises through his flashy 2025 Paramount deal. Although Smith has no active projects in development as of now except for I Am Legend, the deal with Paramount means there will be newer roles he would take on and considering the studio and their slew of hits, Smith is surely in good hands.

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