Will Smith has reportedly signed up to star in an upcoming adaptation of Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.
The news comes through Pajiba, who claim the information came from an inside Hollywood source. According to the site, the film is being set up by Sony and Overbrook Entertainment, Smith’s production company. Tracy Nyden, an assistant to Smith on I Am Legend, is apparently signed to produce.
All of this, however, is conjecture until official. Smith would be a good fit for the role – although he is primarily known for his outgoing and brash manner in roles such as Independence Day, The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Men In Black and, of course, his music career, he’s also starred in far more serious roles in films such as Ali and The Pursuit Of Happyness.
For those who aren’t familiar, Flowers For Algernon deals with a slow man, selected to increase his intelligence through experimentation that sees his IQ jump from 68 to triple that number. He experiences a gamut of emotions, but as the experiment progresses, his new higher learning faculties begin to leave him. The novel is essentially a parable regarding the treatment of the disabled, as well as the conflict between intelligence and emotion, and has been adapted into theatre, radio, and an Academy Award-winning film named Charly. The title refers to the initial successful experiment by the government, on a mouse named Algernon. The main character’s last words after regressing back into his previous mental state are to ask someone to lay flowers on the mouse’s grave.
