Will Smith [Photo/Agencies]

Nelson Mandela and his friends in showbiz

Kate Winslet initially refused Labor Day role

The 45-year-old actor is set to star in the film adaptation of the Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name and he is in early talks to begin filming in May, according to the Wrap.com.

Producer Julius Onah - who recently completed his debut feature 'Girl in Trouble' with executive producer Spike Lee - will helm the film, while Joe Roth and Palak Patel are on board to produce.

The film is set in a world where one per cent of the children born are savants - people who are gifted with special powers - and a federal agent is tasked with tracking down a savant terrorist who intends to start civil war.

Meanwhile, Smith will hit the big screen in romantic comedy 'Focus' alongside 'The Wolf of Wall Street' star Margot Robbie in February 2015.

The comedy sees the actor star as a seasoned con artist whose attempts to take a gifted protege (Robbie) under his wing takes a turn for the worst when their romantic interests begin to conflict with their illicit work.