A bidding war has broken out over runaway slave thriller “Emancipation” which has Will Smith attached to star and Antoine Fuqua directing for Fuqua Films, Westbrook Studios, McFarland Entertainment and Escape Artists.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Apple, MGM, Lionsgate and Universal have all made offers on the property at the Cannes virtual market this week, with bidding said to be upwards of $75 million.
William N. Collage pens the film centered on a runaway slave named Peter who escaped to the Union Army during the Civil War and outwitted bounty hunters over ten days through the Louisiana swamps, masking his scent with onions.
Production is expected to launch in early 2021. Smith, James Lassiter and Jon Mone will produce with Smith expected to finish the remainder of the biopic “King Richard” first.
That project however has hit a spot of trouble as TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media have reportedly filed a lawsuit claiming they bought the rights for Richard Williams’ story before Warners came onboard the project.
Source: Variety
