Will Smith is pulling out of action-thriller Sugar Bandits, leaving the film without a co-star.

 

 

Deadline reports that Smith is leaving the film “due to scheduling conflicts,” even though it’s not clear which of Smith’s upcoming projects was the culprit (there are several projects to keep an eye out for, such as I Am Legend 2, with Smith co-starring with Michael B. Jordan).

Smith leaving the role now puts the film’s performance at the box office in a lurch, since distributors signed on to support the film at Cannes and EFM due to Smith as the star. Keep in mind that the film also cost $80 million.

Smith is still on as a producer through his production company Westbrook. But without Smith as the star, it remains to see who can fill his big shoes and make distributors happy. People will need to know who will be cast soon, though; the film was set to start production in a few months, and even though it’s been stalled because of Smith dropping out, the team behind the film still plan on a 2025 release date.

Directed by Sicario: Day of the Soldado‘s Stefano Sollima, Sugar Bandits follows a former special forces soldier who is the head of an expert team of vigilantes aiming to eliminate Boston’s drug trade. The film is based on Chuck Hogan’s book Devils in Exile; Hogan will also write the screenplay.