Jared Leto in talks to replace Will Smith in Legendary’s Brilliance

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Back in February we shared the news that I AM LEGEND and HANCOCK star Will Smith was in talks to join Legendary's sci-fi thriller BRILLIANCE, to be directed by Julius Onah (“God Particle”) from a script by David Koepp, who adapted Marcus Sakey’s novel of the same name. Last month we learned that PROMETHEUS star Noomi Rapace had signed on to co-star in the sci-fi flick, but later learned Will Smith would be exiting the film, leaving the pic without a lead. Now THR is reporting that Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto is now in talks to replace Smith for the lead role.

Set in a world where some people called “brilliants” are born with heightened cognitive abilities, the story follows a federal agent whose extraordinary gift makes him exceptional at hunting terrorists. Here's the official synopsis of the book:

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called “brilliants,” and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in—and betray his own kind.

While talks are still quite early on, if Leto decides to take on the role, he'll play a federal agent with great hunting gifts who is drafted to hunt down a terrorist, another such brilliant who intends to start a civil war.

Joe Roth, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce, while Alex Hedlund, Palek Patel and Eric McLeod will executive produce. 

The novel was published by Thomas and Mercer, an imprint of Amazon, in August 2013. “Brilliance” is the first of a planned three-book series, with the second book set to be released later this year.

We'll keep you posted on news regarding BRILLIANCE as it comes in.

BRILLIANCE star Rapace