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The celebrated actor didn't just approach Sony with the pitch for a single film he detailed plans for a sequel, a live-action TV show, an animated series, webisodes, mobisodes, a video game, consumer products, theme-park attractions, documentaries, comics, an educational program in partnership with NASA, merchandise such as cologne and perfume, and even an AE branded social network. Smith even hoped this would rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter have all reached such stature, and now they are being joined by 1000 AD." their appetite for revisiting that world is endless and as they grow older, the attraction continues to grow stronger. "Each generation discovers a world that connects with them on a visceral and emotional level. As he described it in Overbrook's pitching document: As a result, he envisioned After Earth as the beginning of a project he called "1000 AE." He worked with a team of writers to create a 294-page bible detailing a thousand years of history, explaining what had happened to Earth's survivors. Smith had recognized that the age of 'star vehicles' was coming to an end, and that moviegoers were now more invested in franchises than they were in stars. In the case of After Earth, he uncovered the sheer scale of Will Smith's ambitions. He's spent countless hours combing through documents released as a result of the Sony hack in 2014, and as a result he's pieced together a lot of the behind-the-scenes drama at Sony Pictures. The story about Will Smith's plans for an After Earth shared universe is told by Ben Fritz in his excellent book The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies. Will Smith’s Plans For AE 1000 Shared Universe The striking thing in this case, however, is that Will Smith had an ambition to transform After Earth into a rival for the likes of Star Wars, the MCU, and Lord of the Rings. In truth, pretty much every film star has stumbles like After Earth at some point in their career. Related: Independence Day & Men In Black Made The Same Mistake With Will Smith It grossed just $243 million worldwide against a budget of $130 million, and was panned by critics. It starred Will Smith and his son Jaden, and in spite of Smith's hopes it proved to be a box office bomb. Night Syamalan, After Earth is a sci-fi adventure set 1,000 years after Earth had been abandoned due to an ecological catastrophe.
Sony subsequently entered a partnership with Smith's Overbrook Productions to release After Earth. That production was a troubled one, in large part because Smith had become accustomed to calling the shots. He bowed out for a while after 2008's Seven Pounds, but returned to his old partnership with Sony for 2012's Men In Black 3. Will Smith may be a household name, but his career hasn't been without hitches. Will Smith intended After Earth to become a transmedia experience that rivaled the Marvel Cinematic Universe.