Will Smith and Thandie
Newton will star opposite each other in the new drama, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
The movie is based upon the rags-to-riches story of Chris Gardner,
who was once homeless and living in a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland,
California.
Gardner’s life changed when he met a man driving a Ferrari
that was looking for a parking space.
“I said, ‘You can have mine. But I gotta ask you
two questions.’ The two questions were: What do you do? And how do you
do that? Turns out this guy was a stockbroker and he was making $80,000 a month,”
Gardner recounted.
Gardner started interning at various brokerages while he learned.
In the process, he was arrested for failing to pay $1,200 in parking violations
and his wife left him to car for their young song without her.
Gardner persevered through various hardships and finished the
program. He ended up becoming a top producer for Bear, Stearns & Company,
in San Francisco and New York and later successfully launched his own firm.
Newton has been tapped to play Smith’s estranged wife.
The movie is being
produced by Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. The movie is slated for a
2006 release.