Will Smith to star in Netflix crime biopic 'The Council'

Actor Will Smith who is awaiting the release of 'Gemini Man' is all set to star in Netflix's upcoming crime biopic 'The Council'.

Smith will star as well as produce 'The Council' written by Peter Landesman. The duo had earlier worked together in 'Concussion'- the 2015 drama starred Smith and was directed and penned by Landesman, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

'The Council' revolves around an organised crime syndicate run by seven mobsters who operated in Harlem in the 1970s. The men dreamed of a self-sufficient and self-policing African-American city-state, funded by revolutionising the drug game.

It explores the Shakespearean court intrigue in the council between Barnes and a rising protege.

Smith will play Nicky Barnes, who partnered with Italian mafia to start his own syndicate in the heroin trade. He was arrested in 1978 and became a federal informant under the witness protection programme. Though he died in 2012, his death was only reported in 2019.

According to the outlet, no director has been recruited for the project yet.

Recently seen in 'Aladdin', Smith starred in one of Netflix's early feature, the 2017 sci-fi fantasy 'Bright'.