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Will Smith Gets Epic with “The Last Pharaoh”

Posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 by Devindra Hardawar

It seems that everybody is getting their turn at historical epics these days, and now Will Smith is going to have his chance with The Last Pharaoh. Working with a script by Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, Smith is set to play the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa—who is most famous for defending ancient Egypt against invasions by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon. The film will apparently focus on this conflict.

The Last Pharaoh was initially announced back in March with a script by Carl Franklin (Out of Time, Devil in a Blue Dress), but obviously things went awry. Franklin’s screenwriting history is fairly thin, and the closest he’s come to an epic film is directing an episode of Rome, so the film is probably better off in the hands of Wallace.

While inconsistent (Wallace also wrote The Man in the Iron Mask, and Pearl Harbor), he has at least proven he knows what makes a good epic screenplay. As for Smith, I can’t quite picture him in a massive historical epic—but then again maybe that’s just because he’s not Orlando Bloom.

My excitement for this film will rest primarily on who they choose to direct. Honestly, I’m a bit burned out on the genre—and I fear general audiences may be as well—after the recent failures of Troy and Alexander. I loved the Kingdom of Heaven director’s cut, but the version most audiences saw in theaters was still somewhat weak. 300 sort of brought audiences back to the genre, but obviously it can’t justifiably be compared to realistic epics. I just hope whoever they choose to direct this film can do something beyond more of the same.

Source: Variety

Discuss: Do you think Will Smith is due for his own historical epic? Are you still excited for the genre?

Comments

Quan

I'm not excited about the genre but Will Smith movies, with the exception of damn Hancock, usually turn out very good, or at least watchable.

gah

This reminds me of Last Samurai with both title and racial innaccruacy. But what the hell, Jake Gyllenhall is persian apparently, so whatever. Speaking of Last Samurai, Will Smith did end up doing the movie Paul Mooney proposed for Tom Hanks on Chappelles show with I am Legend.

gah

disrgard the first part of my last post. I guess Smith does look like the guy. I'm an idiot.

Tommy Tricker

AW HELL NAW.

WELCOME TO ERF

Devindra Hardawar

@Gah I used to think that too about the Last Samurai, until I realized the title wasn't about Cruise's character, it was referring to Watanabe's. I actually liked the Last Samurai except for the terrible ending.

Also, Taharqa is a Nubian pharaoh, so Smith could technically fit the role.

As for Gyllenhall: Sigh.

Peter

Here we go again with veiled inuendoes about the Nubian-were-the-only-black-Egyptians nonsense. It's been proven over and over again that the Egyptians were true Africans (look at DNA tests and according to Herodotus’ Histories, they were "dark skinned with frizzy hair". Will Smith could play any of the Pharaohs with accurate historicity. I'm looking forward to something like this being done and set in an African country like Morocco (The Man who would be King) to lend it authenticity.

mudywaters

There better be a lot of special effects because Big Willy needs them to hit his $100 million box office. Can this guy even act without special effects? Don't give me that Pursuit of Happyness bullshit either.

Kip Mooney

Smith can do anything. But does it matter? People will still turn out in droves. Take for example his upcoming movie Seven Pounds: it's going to depress the hell out of everyone and it'll still make $100M+.

Christopher Marc

I'm still excited for the genre, that being said...Will Smith is not the best fit for it...he should stick to genre comedies

There have to be better actors that can fill the role, giving the black lead to Washington and Smith...leaves the rest of the African-American acting community in the dust...Most non-white lead roles are always given to the same 20-30 people...never new blood added

Maybe Idris Elba (the Wire, RockNRolla) could do a better job...give an up and comer a chance..lol

Kaboodle Monster

Well Devindra is right. Still one of my favorite expiriences in a movie theatre was seeing the trailer for the Last Samurai in Japan and hearing the whole audience burst into laughter when Tom Cruise came on screen.

REAL6

Hmmmmmmmmm, How about Randall Wallace write the screenplay and get Mel Gibson to direct this. And have the language in Egyptian!!!

I dont want to see this in english!!!

It will really cheeze the movie!!!

A Better Class of Criminal

This is great news! Maybe a chance for Will Smith to enter oscar territory.

On a side note, I keep hearing good things about the Kingdom of Heaven's director's cut. I'm thinking I'm going to have to buy it now.

Jason

I wouldn't call Troy a failure. It grossed nearly 500M worldwide at the box office. Alexander, on the other hand, was definitely a failure.

igroveman

why does hollywood have to stick to such a short list of A-listers? I mean, you can't even find a Yul Brynner type to play Pharoah and you have to go with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air? Maybe there is something in the story that explains the racial disparity.

WillyK

You obviously have NO clue as to the history of Nubia and Egypt...Racial disparity! Stop sucking on the Euro-centric teet and learn of the racially unbiased version of African history...

Superman

for all the complaints you people will make it number 1 at the box office like you did hancock. It's simple, don't like these big willy movies? Don't see them in droves!

Steelo

*sigh*

Hayden

Will Smith is a good actor. I think he can handle this genre well. Gladiator is still one of my favorite epic films. But theres something about ancient Egypt that I find very interesting. So I am pretty excited to see how this will turn out.

c dawg

i definitely think its Wills time to shine. most all his movies(and tv show) are really good and i like how he can keep out of the paparazzi spot light, mostly because he doesn't do crazy/stupid shit in real life, and also he just seems like an all around good guy. If its anyone's turn, it has to be his...

Darrell

If they go for the 'relatively historically accurate' rather then Roland Emmerich (10,000 BC etc.) fantasy history it might work out.

"REAL6" - agreed. Who cares if it will alienate a ton of A.D.D. Americans. Go for a quality epic rather then blockbuster fluff. Although you'd have to get a director with some balls that's not afraid to say no to giving studio heads BJs.
Good luck.

Sargon

All I know is, as an Assyrian, they better not portray us too vile. We're really not as bad as people make us out to be lol

Topcomicbooks

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Khaled Farah

It is anachronistic to call Taharaqa a Nubian. He is either a Kushite, because that is the biblical term, or simply a Sudanese , because he really is.

matt

Will Smith is the most powerful and entertaining actor of our generation. The man has risen from the young kid in the Fresh Prince to being the last man on Earth. Great movie after great movie throughout his entire career. Im sure this'll be another highly successful movie to add to the list.

ken

many ancient pharaohs were black and many had nubian origins but they were egyptians .taharqa was not.

most of southern egypt was black.

Peter

Egypt was "black" PERIOD. There were some ruling familes from what would today be considered 'white' groups but they most certainly would have intermarried with the natives. Look at the historical records.

dampwater

You're definitely wrong...DNA evidence has proven that modern day Egyptians were the main descendants of ancient Egyptians. Modern Egyptians today are of tan/brown color on average with some lighter skinned Egyptians and other darker-skinned Egyptians from the southern region. In general Ancient Egyptians were somewhat mixed racially, but most prominently they were reddish brown as depicted in their art work.

EthioPlanet

Don't be ridiculous. Today's Egyptians were of course descended from ancient Egyptians. It's not like they disappeared from the face of the earth. What you fail to realize is that today's Egyptians are also descendants of Mediterraneans. Where do you think the Assyrians went after invading Egypt, following it's fall. Where do you think the subsequent Arabs went after bringing Islam to the country, replacing Coptic Orthodox Christianity.

And don't give me that BS that they were somehow "reddish" simply because that's how they painted themselves (I challenge you to find any "red" Egyptians today).

In any case, if you want to know who most approximates them in resemblance today, look no further than the Horn of Africa and parts of Sudan (Ethiopians, Eritreans, Somalians, Northern Sudanese). As a matter of fact, contrary to what traditionally happens when African Americans mix with whites, when you mix someone from the Horn of Africa with an Arab or White person, the offspring tend to look more like their "White" side and could often pass for one (as in the case of Egyptians). It's an interesting anomaly, but a real one nonetheless.

EthioPlanet

I should probably also Add that DNA evidence "has proven" in fact that today's Egyptians are closely related to Ethiopians/Eritreans/Somalians (who belong to the e3b haplogroup) while also on the other hand being related to Mediterraneans. This only affirms the notion that they are a mix of both and that in Ancient Times, they were more of one than the other since the Middle Easterns hadn't come there yet.

NEBONEED

all i have to say is they better get the story right because we assyrians dominated the nubians and taharqa retreated back and died and dont make us look very brutal LOL

EthioPlanet

That's misleading. The first war (during his 17th regnal year) ended with Taharqa's victory. Three years later, however, he was defeated by the Assyrians. It was 1:1, so I don't see what you mean by "dominated"...And why do you u say "we"? You were never there.

This is, of course, not including the war against Sennacherib (which would make it 2:1). Probably one of the most important wars in history where the Assyrians tried to destroy Jerusalem and deport everyone and Taharqa came to their aid and defeated them.

andre

EthioPlanet. Blessing from Amun. Thank you for explaining this to the ones who raped & pilaged the way through the accient times.

It's going yo burn a whole lot of people to learn that not only were black people the first on this planet except for Sarks & Crocks but, we were also kings at one time and nearly all evidence has been destroyed by early Eurpeans and warmongering assyrians & persians. From the aswan dam flooding & burying the Nubian lands and history to all the slave moives and fantasy hollywood crap were black people never existed.

Now your running and trying to back track and sabotage. You can't hide and lie about history forever.

andre

NEBONEED, you assyrians raped and pillaged everything in sight. And tought the world about sex slaves and broffles. Also the your rapist clan didn't dominate anything as the war raged for over 100yrs and the assyrians were driven out many times as you were in the so called "holy Lands" as mentioned in the bible so please recheck your history.

Also the assyrians ruined all the temples and greats building the Egyptians build over the 1000s of years and "Tirharqa" restored them during his reign or we would have nothing to look today.

You like most of the world have been happy to that black people were just slaves but, now people are getting to know the truth. Assyrians had many slaves but, the black pharoe had many more warriors.

WillyK

Oh! but at that time they were brutal, very...Sennacherib boasts of his battle with the king of Elam, speaking of his chariot riding through rivers of blood and filth, bodies of his enemies desecrated, chopping off testicles, tearing off penises! Sounds pretty brutal to me! Wasn't enough to win, had to get all barbaric...Never did say what they did with all those testicles and penis!

neboneed

I would be very pissed off if the film shows that the nubians successfully defended egypt because they did not,the assyrians were the worlds super power at that time period and no body couldnt stop them at wars, SO pleaes director make the movie very good, especially becuase it would be an first assyrian movie out, make it very good !!!

ESARHADON

I WANT KNOW IS THAT WHO IS GOING TO PLAY THE ASSYRIANS ARE THEY GOING TO BE ASSYRIAN PEOPLE OR SOME OTHER RACES , TRY TO FIND GOOD ASSYRIAN ACTORS ,IT WOULD MAKE IT WAY BETTER

EthioPlanet

The Assyrians LOST the first war against the Nubians. They won the second one 3 years alter. What's with the selective BS?

This is excluding the war against Sennacherib. Probably one of the most important wars in history where the Assyrians tried to destroy Jerusalem and deport everyone and Taharqa came to their aid and defeated them.

EthioPlanet

Sea Serpent

Knowing these Hollywood F**ks, they'll most likely have Indian or Paki or Arabs playing the Ancient Assyrians. Don't expect much except inaccuracies.

movie watcher

any update on this anyone know when it is to start casting

History Matters

Taharqa was ethnically Ta-Seti, what is known today as the Beja people. It is a shame that already from the start there are glaring historical inaccuracies that will singe the cultural identity of any ethnic Bejan. There was no country called Nubia in this perod of history and no such thing as a "Nubian Pharaoh". A pharaoh is a governmental body not an individual king unless the person was a foreign impostor claiming to be the entire governmental body or Per Aa. Taharqa was anything foreign or illegitimate, as his mother's family are clearly descended of the same line as the 20th Dynasty High Priests of Amun who were originally from Egypt's western oases and Upper Egypt. Taharqa and his lineage restored order and culture to Egypt after a few fractious dynasties and foreign imposition. Will Smith is perfect to play this part if he is prepared to walk through a refugee camp in Eritrea, Eastern Sudan or Egypt and meet the present day descendants of the Ta-Seti. I hope that the actual history of the region is not paved over to make way for crappy Hollywood tripe like Troy or Kingdom of Heaven which were awful.

dampwater

Taharqa wasn't really "The Last Pharaoh". The last pharaoh we technically know of is Neetanebo II or Ptolemy XV (if you consider the Ptolemaic dynasty ruling Egypt as Pharaohs). Plus, if they were going to make a movie about Egyptian pharaohs then why choose Taharqa? He wasn't really that important compared to many others, plus there was another Nubian king who succeeded him. Is it because he is Nubian so that would have made Will Smith fit the role??

mace

taharqa was a a kushite,not a beja. he was what is call nubia in the middle ages and late ancient times but it had many names.kush ta-seti and later it was christian had kush broke up and had had very powerful nubian kingdoms after kush. he was a nubian or kushite. he and his family did not come from priest in egypt. nubians are related to black egyptian but they are different people.
read the book the kingdom of kush . there aare two of these books .

taharqa was very important to egypt. he help restored it,but he was more important to the history of nubia than egypt. the movie is not about egyptian pharaohs,it's about te nubians in nubia and egypt. taharqa was one of the great nubian leaders that 's why a movie is being made.

EthioPlanet

It seems you are rather ignorant in the subject. Bejan's ARE Cushites (or "Hamitic" as it was known back in the day) , just as are most other people from the Horn of Africa/North Eastern Africa.

History Matters

Mace, your assertions are incorrect. Ta-Har- Ka was not Kushitic. He was Ta-Seti. The Bejan peoples of Eastern Sudan, Upper Egypt and the Red Sea Hill of Eastern Desert of Egypt as well the Western Desert peoples are descended of the Ta-Seti.

Ta-Har- Ka was a direct descendant of the Ta- Seti Clan of Pinudjem. Your comprehension of East African culture and history appears to be biased.

There was no kingdom of Nubia when Ta-Harqa was alive. This is a false and Eurocentric construct. Taharqa was of an indigenous people native to both sides of the Egyptian/Sudanese border.

I don't need to read a book about Egypt or the Sudan. I am Bejan. I was born in Kharga. My ancestors and their descendants have lived in the same valleys for the last six thousand years.

You Americans are always speaking in absolutes that expose your arrogance and conceit for the rest of us. We know who we are. We know who are our ancestors are! You go and make a stupid movie about our great ancestors to make your selves rich even as the Beja people die by the millions in refuge camps all over Sudan and Somalia! Shame on you!
Black is not a language nor is it a country, a nation or an ethnicity. We are Bejan peoples born of the Horn of Africa and whole of Upper Egypt.
You are culture vultures stealing our legacy our history to justify an identity crisis created by your own willful ignorance.

Matters History

History Matters, please tame your own assertions. Please remember that black americans are not your enemy. Many of us are doing the same thing Taharqa did for AE, that is RESTORE the historical accuracy of black peoples worldwide with whom are all connected.

I'm glad you brought out the point that "Nubia" did not exist at this time and is mainly a eurocentric construct. Also be aware that people like the Beja are somewhat related to people in West Africa starting with those in Lybia and further like the Tuareg and Fulani, whom black americans have ancestry with.

Can't wait for this first of it's kind movie.

EthioPlanet

History Matters, Being Kushitic and Bejan aren't mutually exclusive, as I understand it. You speak a Kushitic language like many people from the Horn of Africa, do you not?

As far as your concern, though, I think if they are able to drop this notion of "nubia", settle a few other historical inaccuracies, and most importantly drop this notion that a black actor can't be casted to play an Egyptian pharaoh, it would be a good start.

In my view, someone like Will Smith is a more realistic resemblance of Ancient Egyptians than the people they generally pick to play the roles (With the exception of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson), yet Hollywood is so fixated in propagating this Eurocentric notion that Egyptians were some how not "Black" in today's standard of what we consider to be one. If that's the case, we, people of the Horn, aren't "black" either.

andre

History Matters: If history matters so much to you why don't you read it proper? Spell the great Kings name properly and don't bother cos it's disrespectfull. Whatever bull shit your trying to splash let me tell you and the rest, Kush - Nubia - all in the same. Both jet black people with no lightly tanned shit so keep that crap for your 1950s and upwards audience.

You guys done a good job fooling the world till now.

jmabe

First of all Will Smith can make any movie great so I am not too worried about the director, and who could call Troy a failure? That movie was fucking awesome!

akhet_aten

all of the egyptians and nubians better be portrayed as black africans, which is true to history!

the egyptians were sons and daughters of the nubians... same racial type (black african)!

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