I have the highest respect for actors like Samuel Jackson and Will Smith (in this case – Producer). These guys are both class acts, and each has their share of geekiness blended smoothly with their uber cool presence. So to see them working together on opposite sides of the screen sounds like a good movie to me.
Hollywood Reporter says:
Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington are in negotiations to co-star in the Screen Gems thriller “Lakeview Terrace.” James Lassiter and Will Smith are producing through their Sony-based Overbrook Entertainment shingle.
Penned by David Loughery, the story centers on a black LAPD officer (Jackson) who will stop at nothing to force out the interracial couple who just moved in next door. Washington would play the female half of the couple.
The project is out to directors, and casting is under way for the white male lead. Shooting is scheduled to start in May in Los Angeles.
Jackson can clearly play the bitter oppressed black male role (Die Hard with a Vengence) and he does it rather well. So for him to play that old man who shuns progressive relationships that see no boundary by colour isnt a stretch.
But unlike his Die Hard role, this character appears to take things too far. Remember this is a Thriller, not some BET sitcom where the harmless old man quips about how she shouldnt be dating a white man. We will see the darker side of this situation, and Jackson can do this very well.
