EXCLUSIVE: Will Smith Is Attempting to Make a Ruthless Hollywood Comeback With a New Paramount Deal Years After His Career Collapsed
Will Smith is chasing a ruthless Hollywood comeback with a new Paramount deal after his career collapsed.
Dec. 19 2025, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
It's do-or-die time for showbiz pariah Will Smith, sources say – as he desperately tries to resuscitate his battered Hollywood career with a humongous new deal.
Now RadarOnline.com can reveal he's working himself and his staff into a frenzy as he struggles to come back after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars put him in a Hollywood time-out.
Ruthless Rules for Hollywood Redemption
Paramount has struck a mega-deal with Westbrook to put Will Smith back in big-budget starring roles, sources said.
Thanks to a new mega-money deal with production giant Paramount, his company Westbrook will roll out a slew of big-budget films – with none other than 57-year-old Smith in starring roles.
An insider revealed: "Will is delighted he's got this opportunity to redeem himself. It's the break he's been praying for and he's hell-bent on not screwing it up.
"He's cracking the whip on everyone around him and if people aren't willing to match his intensity, they'll get their marching papers in no time. Will is being absolutely ruthless and saying that's the only way this is going to work."
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Smith and his hard-headed spouse of 26 years, Jada Pinkett Smith, 54, have been living separate lives for years, but she remains actively involved in his production company.
Blockbusters Built Around Will
Insiders said Chris Rock slap fallout still shadows Smith's comeback push.
Added the insider: "Even though Jada has a meaningful financial stake in Will's studio, it's becoming a one-man show in terms of its mission.
"Make no mistake, the purpose of this company is to make blockbuster movies that star Will."
After breaking out as TV's Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith amassed a whopping $350million fortune with hits that included Men in Black, Independence Day, the Bad Boys franchise and I, Robot.
Failure Is Not An Option
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Jada Pinkett Smith remains involved at Westbrook as Smith drives a new slate aimed at impressing Paramount owner David Ellison.
The insider added: "Going forward, Will is looking for action comedies, thrillers and sci-fi spectacles – the kind of films that made him a superstar in the first place.
"The whole 'slap' incident feels like ancient history, but Will is still pressuring everybody around him to impress Paramount's new owner, David Ellison, who's been a Will Smith fan since grade school.
"David has made a huge bet on Will, and it's time for Will and his team to deliver. Failure is not an option."
