Will Smith and Steven Spielberg are an iconic duo. The Oscar-winning actor-director pair has delivered several hits and classics that found their place in cinema history. Packing supreme talents in their respective fields of acting and producing-directing, they are a formidable pair. However, while they have come across each other many times in their career, the two talents are yet to work together as an actor-director pair.

One of their many canceled ventures even involved the Deadpool character co-creator, Rob Liefeld. In what could have been a late 90s superhero take by Spielberg starring Smith, the movie never saw the light of the day for a somewhat absurd reason.

The Rob Liefeld-written superhero movie script that got shelved

In the late 90s, Steven Spielberg had already cemented his role as an influential and successful creative force with Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Meanwhile, Will Smith had created a larger-than-life persona for himself with Independence Day and Bad Boys. As such, when Deadpool’s co-creator had a script in mind, for a movie titled The Mark, he headed straight to Spielberg’s company to onboard him as director and later Smith as the lead. However, as has now become a trait, fate conspired again and the duo once again skipped the ship as actor-director.

The sci-fi action movie involved Smith’s character getting superhuman powers owing to a mysterious mark. Additionally, it also involved a bit of history dating back to World War 2. However, at the scheduled pitch meeting in 1997, Liefeld was greeted by the sight of the now 54-year-old leaving Spielberg’s place. Following a disagreement over merchandising along with certain creative differences, the actor exited the project. Eventually, with time, Spielberg also dropped the production, leaving Liefeld in the lurch. Along with it, the prospect of Smith starring in a Spielberg directorial fell hanging to fate.

Smith and Spielberg, however, have collaborated on numerous occasions, though in different capacities, involving Spielberg going as far as sending a helicopter to pick up Smith.

Steven Spielberg once had Will Smith at “hello”

Will Smith rose to instant fame and recognition with his Men In Black outing. However, the actor was initially reluctant to take on the role of Agent J. Smith felt the script did not feel right as per his expectations. Yet, refusing to let go, Spielberg sent a helicopter to pick up Smith from his residence and had him at “hello”. Later on, Spielberg, who happened to be the executive producer for the movie, sat with the King Richard actor and managed to convince him and bring him on board. And the rest is cinema history.

Spielberg also once joked to Smith that he was “too big of a star” for him to cast the latter in his movies. The sentence was also something that the star reflected upon at several talk shows. The actor who recently won the Best Actor Oscar at the 2022 Academy Awards is on course for his next outing with Bad Boys 4. Meanwhile, fans, as well as Liefeld, await that day when a Steven Spielberg-directed Will Smith movie shall debut.

What do you think of the failed movie project between Will Smith and Steven Spielberg? Let us know in the comments below.