Will Smith's production company is teaming up with a lot of major players in Hollywood to develop a new kind of romantic comedy called Clean Air, per Deadline. NASCAR, the actor's Westbrook Studios, Amazon Studios, and The Chainsmokers' (yes, the same guys who made "#SELFIE") production studio Kick The Habit are all joining in on the fun.
If you're thinking that this sounds like an odd group of players putting this movie together, you're not wrong. And the origin story is interesting enough that it might merit its own biopic someday. Despite (or perhaps due to) quarantine restrictions, two-thirds of The Chainsmokers found themselves going through scripts in order to get their new production company up and running. They had their hearts set on a romantic comedy, and just so happened to stumble upon the screenplay written by Alison Rose Greenberg. Adding NASCAR into the mix just made sense because the band members have performed at several races and have a deep, appreciative connection to the sport.
As for Smith's involvement, it all started about 16 years ago with a romantic comedy called Hitch. In it, Smith plays a love coach to Kevin James, a dweeby guy who wants to woo a woman way out of his league. The movie coined the popular phrase "you never go the full hundred" in a scene where the two male leads share an awkward kiss. Eva Mendes also stars as Smith's skeptical love interest in the comedy. Clean Air is about a NASCAR sports agent trying to get a former driver's talented young daughter to compete in the sport, despite his surliness, and according to reports, the team at Westbrook enjoyed several of the similarities between the new script and Smith's previous dabble in rom-coms.
It's unsure whether or not Smith will play a starring role in the movie, but he has been heavily involved with it, so it's not outside the realm of possibility. His Westbrook Studios has several other projects currently in the works or heading towards release, including Planes, Trains & Automobiles which co-stars Kevin Hart alongside Smith, Emancipation, which Apple landed in the biggest festival acquisition deal in movie history, and the upcoming King Richard, which stars Smith as Richard Williams, father of tennis champions Serena and Venus.