Hancock (2008)
Where to Watch
- The original script for Hancock was written over a decade before production finally began in 2008.
- Before Will Smith was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The incredible score for Hancock was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
Hancock is a 2008 American superhero film directed by Peter Berg, starring Will Smith as the title character โ an immortal, super-powered being living in Los Angeles who fights crime while drunk, causing millions of dollars in collateral damage and earning the hatred of the public he saves. When PR executive Ray Embrey, played by Jason Bateman, convinces Hancock to rehabilitate his image through community service and anger management, the antihero's transformation from despised vigilante to beloved protector is complicated by a mysterious connection between Hancock and Ray's wife Mary, played by Charlize Theron. Hancock's first act was an inventive deconstruction of superhero mythology, exploring what would actually happen if a god-like being had substance abuse problems and no interest in public relations.
Will Smith brought his trademark charisma to a role that required him to be unlikeable, and the early scenes of Hancock drunkenly causing more damage than he prevents were darkly comic. The film took a sharp tonal turn in its second half, revealing a mythological backstory that many critics felt was tonally inconsistent with the grounded first act. Hancock earned $629 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, a strong commercial return driven by Smith's star power and the appealing high concept.
