Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will star in “The Last Pharaoh,” a historical epic from Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, Variety reports.
The script is being written as a vehicle for Will Smith, who is the one that brought the story to Wallace, and has been interested in playing the pharaoh for quite a while. As well, it is worth noting that Wallace is the third screenwriter to be brought onto the project at Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. The original script was written by “Devil in a Blue Dress” scribe Carl Franklin, with “Never Back Down” writer Chris Hauty being brought in to do some polishing earlier this year.
“Last Pharaoh” is said to resolve around the battle between Taharqa, a member of Egypt's 25th dynasty, and Esarhaddon, Assyrian leader who seeks to invade Egypt. The war between the two ignited in 677 B.C. and lasted even until the death of Esarhaddon. Though this epic drama project is entitled “Last Pharaoh”, Taharqa was not the last Pharaoh of Egypt. In reality, the last Pharaoh is Cleopatra VII.
Smith next stars for Columbia in “Seven Pounds,” a re-team with “Pursuit of Happyness” director Gabriele Muccino that Overbrook produced with Escape Artists.
As of right now, there is no target start date for the project, but we will keep an eye out for you.
The history of a 25th Dynasty military expedition, led by a Kushite Suten (Pharaoh), dispatched to the Near East in 701 B.C.E, its destination corresponds to today Palestine/Israel. Its aim was to prevent the Assyrian King, Sennacherib, who god was Ashur, from carrying out a conquest of the last Canaanite strong hold, Jerusalem. This black-African mighty force intervention, led by the young military chief and nephew of Shabaka name was Nefertem Khu Re Taharka. This mission enabled the fragile, war-torn Hebrew kingdom to survive and nurse its self back to economic and demographic health. Thereby allowing the Hebrew religion, Yahwism (and their god YHWH), to evolve within the next several centuries into Iudaism (Judaism). From Judaism would off shoot Christianity and then later Islam. The story of this Kushite Army, following their god Amon, was widely known in the west until a century ago. One source, the bible 2Kings 19:35, Isa 37:36, now gives the credit to “the angel of the lord” rather than Taharka. Was this the same group of Hebrews that came into Kemet (Egypt) and resided on Elephantine (Beggar) Island in Aswan to later go on into Gondar Ethiopia? Taharka wpuld again win in battle against the Assyrian King Esarhaddon in 674 B.C.E.
Will Smith playing Taharka could be misleading. Taharka coming from now Nubia Sudan area would have been a Jet Black complexion who wives and off springs would have been too. Mixing was not popular with this group during that period.