It’s all change yet again for con artist pic Focus. With Will Smith, who has been mulling the idea of taking the lead for a while, is now in final negotiations, Kristen Stewart has opted to drop out.
Variety reports that Smith has decided to take on the film, which follows an inexperienced female grifter teaming up with a more seasoned male con artist and forming a close partnership that ends up becoming romantic. But the trust issues between two people who lie for a living become too great and when they meet up again later, there are issues…
**Crazy, Stupid, Love **co-directors Glenn Ficarra and Jon Requa have been trying to lock in a cast for a while. The first thought was recruiting Crazy’s charm magnets Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, but then talk turned to Ben Affleck as the male half of the duo with Stewart as the female lead.
Now Smith is all but locked in but Stewart is out (she apparently thinks the increased age difference is too great) so the hunt is back on for a new rookie con artist.
Warner Bros. wants this one moving soon, but it’ll have to wait until a name can be found to star alongside Smith. The actor, meanwhile, will next show up in After Earth, which is out on June 7 in the UK.