Will Smith and Overbrook goes Overseas

When the U.S. movie audience just aint cutting it anymore, there is only one thing to do, go after audiences oversease. Thats exactly what actor Will Smith and his partner James Lassiter are planning to do. Government censors allowed only 20 foreign movie imports in 2005, leaving out Mr. Smith’s romantic comedy “Hitch.” The rejection rankled the actor; China is one of the fastest-growing movie markets. So at a gathering of the Sony Corporation’s top management in January, Mr. Smith appealed to the chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, and a studio executive, Michael Lynton, to introduce him to Chinese producing partners. Overbrook Entertainment, the company created by Mr. Smith and his business partner, James Lassiter, announced it was working with UTV, a television and film concern run by the entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala. The two have agreed to produce two movies, neither of which will star the popular Mr. Smith. Fresh Princes of Mumbai, Building a Global Audience [NYT]