Columbia Pictures has scored another Will Smith project from the team behind The Pursuit of Happyness, according to Variety.
The studio has bought rights to Cooked, a novel by an inner-city drug dealer turned Vegas celebrity chef, for Smith to produce under his Overbrook production company. He may also star, pending script approval.
Overbrook’s James Lassiter will also produce, along with Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal of Escape Artists.
William Morrow published Jeff Henderson’s book late last month. It chronicles his journey from top San Diego cocaine dealer to imprisonment, where he discovered a passion for cooking, and his struggles to make it as a chef. Chef Jeff, as he calls himself, eventually became executive chef at Cafe Bellagio in Las Vegas.
