$80 Million Will Smith Project Would Be Netflix’s Biggest Foray Yet Into Feature Films

Netflix is close to nailing its biggest-ever foray into feature films with Bright — a sci-fi cop drama starring one-time box office icon Will Smith.

Smith and Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty) would star in the film, which boasts a budget of between $80 and $100 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which was first to report the deal. The film is about a world containing both humans and magical creatures, and a police force specifically dedicated to magical crimes. A human (Smith) and an orc (Edgerton) must work together to find a highly-coveted and powerful wand. David Ayer, who directed the forthcoming Suicide Squad starring Smith, is attached to direct Bright as well.

While Netflix has made high-profile strides in the realm of television with original productions like its Emmy-winning House Of Cards

 series, efforts in film have been far less illustrious. Adam Sandler’s highly-watched but critically-panned The Ridiculous Six is part of a four-movie deal between the streaming giant and comedian, while Beasts Of No Nation was boycotted by several of the biggest U.S. movie theater chains due to its simultaneous release on Netflix, and then was snubbed at the Oscars. Netflix’s most recent release, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, premiered late last month.

While Netflix is in serious negotiations for Bright, according to the Reporter, the talks are still far from finished.