Currently adorning one of Empire's four Suicide Squad covers as comicbook anti-hero Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton, Will Smith is in altogether more serious mode for his next film. He plays forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in the true-life drama Concussion: a performance some sources are already touting as Oscar-worthy. Check out the latest trailer and see if you agree.
Parkland director Peter Landesman adapted Jeanne Marie Laskas’ GQ article Game Brain and has called the shots on the movie. The piece followed Dr. Omalu, who made the crucial first discovery of concussive head trauma in a National Football League player and strove to bring awareness to the general public.
Landesman’s take has already been described as an NFL-centric The Insider, putting a human face on a story about a thorny issue and the commercial interests involved in making sure the news doesn’t spread too far. If it can avoid the big pitfalls of prestige issue dramas, it could have a shot at some trophies.
Backing Smith up in the effort is a stalwart cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eddie Marsan, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephen Moyer, Luke Wilson and David Morse. Concussion is set for release in the US on December 25, before heading here on January 29.