Will Smith Is Old School

Posted Friday, March 29, 2002 at 9:17 AM Central

by John Couture

Will Smith may have left the Oscars early, but don't think he doesn't appreciate everything that Sidney Poitier has done for cinema. In perhaps the most flattering move of appreciation, Smith and Warner Bros. have won the rights to remake some of his classic '70s crime comedies.

The films being updated include Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again and A Piece Of The Action. All films starred Poitier and Bill Cosby in the role of buddies straddling the line between good and evil. The pair often found themselves in remarkable circumstances and had to rely on their friendship to pull them out of the mess.

Will Smith has committed to star in Uptown Saturday Night. No word on his "buddy" will be, or if Smith will return for the other remakes.