Screenwriters Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy took the biblical story of Job and modernized it with their script, which is simply titled Joe. Sony Pictures and Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment bought the script. Smith will also star in the upcoming film.

“He’ll

[Will Smith] be playing “Joe.” The movie’s called Joe. It’s about a man [who is living] the American dream. He’s got the nice house, white picket fence, great kids, great wife, nice cars. God and the devil get together every thousand years to bet on a man’s life, and the fate of the world is at stake.

What all of us get hit with in a lifetime, this man gets hit with in one week. And it’s about whether or not he can still pick himself up from that and survive it. It’s a dramedy. At it’s heart, it’s a comedy — but it’s got, obviously, a real dramatic core to it.”

— Paul Tamasy to Movie B.S.

A director to helm the movie is speculation at this point, while the scriptwriting duo are busy with a rewrite to refine the screenplay.

The Book of Job makes a smooth transition to a modern story, and Will Smith is more than capable to carry a dramatic comedy. I’m a fan of Smith’s acting in I Am Legend despite it not completely following the novel it’s adapted from. He brilliantly portrayed carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and of course his charisma still shined through. I’m looking forward to Joe.

(Collider)