Amid the presumed ongoing turmoil in their marriage, it seems Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith have found a way to reach common ground.
The estranged couple’s entertainment company Westbrook just struck a first look deal with Paramount Pictures.
According to the Sept. 3 report, Westbrook will create “global, four-quadrant theatrical movies” with the opportunity for the films to become franchises. They’ll be based on intellectual properties meaning the films will be created from stories or concepts that already exist.
The deal is being reported as calling for the Academy Award winning actor to act in the films while Pinkett Smith produces. It’s a major move for Smith, whose Hollywood star has fallen since he infamously slapped actor Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony for making a joke about Pinkett Smith.
Westbrook reportedly has two new projects already in development with Paramount: a thriller, “Sugar Bandits,” based on Chuck Hogan’s novel “Devils in Exile.” “Rabbit Hole” is the second movie, which is being written by Jon Spaihts.
But that’s not all that comes with the deal. Westbrook will also be stationed on Paramount’s Hollywood lot.
While it seems to be a good comeback for Smith, fans aren’t convinced that he needs to be working with his wife.
One person on The Daily Mail’s website advised Smith to, “Let Jada go and repair your life and career.”
Another said, “He is very naive and has let this ‘woman’ destroy him. He has to travel abroad because the US doesn’t care about him anymore.”
A third typed, “Will should have just let Jada go years ago with her adulterous ways. She is poison to him and his career. Even her own son tried to get emancipated to get away from her.”
Others haven’t forgiven Smith for putting his hands on Rock.
“Nope, still cancelled for that slap,” said one.
But none of that seems to be a worry for Smith.
Westbrook’s Instagram page made a collaborative post with “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star about the Paramount deal. Underneath they wrote the caption, “Excited for this one.”
Pinkett Smith, who has been quiet for most of the year, did not join her husband with a celebratory post about the news. She’s kept a low public profile, sharing only six Instagram posts in 2025 so far, including post about their kids.
Smith, on the other hand, remains highly visible and active. He first released his album “Based on a True Story” in March, marking his 20-year return to music. But the album flopped. According to The Daily Mail, it only sold 268 copies in the first week in the UK and didn’t even chart on the Billboard 200.
However, Smith didn’t let that stop him. Instead, he spent this summer traveling internationally for his “Based on a True Story” tour.
Throughout his travels, Pinkett Smith was never seen by his side. In fact, the last time they were reportedly seen together publicly was in November 2024 when they were leaving Crossroads Restaurant in Calabasas. The couple met and dined with mental health podcaster Jay Shetty.
Will Smith brought out all his ride or dies for #BadBoys! He got support at the L.A. premiere from wife Jada Pinkett Smith, kids Trey, Willow and Jaden, and Jada's mom Adrienne Banfield-Norris. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/p7fIlJBYFX
— ExtraTV (@extratv) May 31, 2024
It’s no surprise the Smiths aren’t parading around together like they are living happily ever after. Pinkett Smith told Hoda Kotb on “Today” in 2023 that the two had been separated and living in different residences since 2016.
Following rumors that they were headed for divorce, it was reported in February 2024 that the Smiths sold their Owings Mills, Maryland home for more than $800,000. Then, in March 2025, they listed their house in Woodland Hills for $2 million.
But even years before the divorce speculation, the couple’s marriage became tabloid fodder. In 2020, the “Set It Off” actress said she had an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina, while still married to Smith.
That wasn’t the only thing she admitted during her 2018 to 2022 run of her talk show “The Red Table Talk.”
Another personal truth the “Set It Off” star shared was that didn’t she didn’t want to get married. Jada said she felt pressured to go through with the wedding due to being pregnant with their son, Jaden Smith, 26.
The Smiths tied the knot in 1997 and their blended family includes Will’s son, Trey Smith, 32, from his previous marriage to Sheree Zampino. After marrying Pinkett Smith, the couple eventually welcomed Jaden and their now 24-year-old daughter Willow Smith.
