Jared Leto may take over lead in Brilliance from Will Smith

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With his name being bandied about as a possible star in Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE, Jared Leto has yet to select his follow-up to his Oscar-winning turn in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB. Leto may not want to get himself locked into the mega-contract that working for Marvel would entail, but that doesn’t mean he is against appearing in any mainstream projects. Case in point, Legendary Pictures’ BRILLIANCE.

Based on the novel by Marcus Sakey, screenwriter David Koepp and director Julius Onah have been searching for a replacement for departed star Will Smith. Noomi Rapace has been cast in the female lead and now Deadline says that Leto is in early talks to replace Smith.

Brilliance focuses on a world where a rare set of people are born with extraordinary abilities and are called “brilliants.” At the center of the story is a federal agent with great hunting gifts who is drafted to track down a terrorist, another such brilliant who intends to start a civil war.

Like Matthew McConaughey segued his Oscar-winning performance into working with Christoper Nolan on INTERSTELLAR, Leto could make a big splash with BRILLIANCE which is envisioned as a studio tent-pole. As likeable as Will Smith can be, BRILLIANCE sounds like it would have resulted in Smith playing a role very similar to I, ROBOT or I AM LEGEND. Jared Leto may inject the right level of fresh air to this project.

BRILLIANCE has no release date at this time.