Filming for ‘Sugar Bandits,’ starring Will Smith and written by Chuck Hogan, is scheduled to begin in September in Boston and Montreal.
Will Smith poses with the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022. (Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S.)
Will Smith poses with the Oscar statuette during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022. (Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S.)

Canton native and best-selling crime writer Chuck Hogan, whose novel “Prince of Thieves” became Ben Affleck’s hit film “The Town,” is set to return to the big screen. Oscar-winner Will Smith will star in “Sugar Bandits,” Hogan’s adaptation of his 2010 novel “Devils in Exile.”

Smith will portray a struggling Iraq War veteran who joins a vigilante group aimed at disrupting the Boston drug trade by stealing money and destroying narcotics. Directed by Stefano Sollima (“Sicario: Day of the Soldado”), the film is slated to begin production in September, with shooting locations in Boston and Montreal, according to Deadline.

This marks one of Smith’s significant roles following his portrayal of Richard Williams, the ultra-competitive tennis dad of Venus and Serena, in “King Richard,” for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. Since his infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, Smith has appeared only in Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation.” He also recently wrapped filming “Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die,” which is set to premiere on June 14.

Hogan, a Boston College alumnus and a 1985 Canton High School graduate, has a diverse portfolio. His writing credits include the co-authored trilogy “The Strain,” “The Fall,” and “The Night Eternal” with three-time Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. Hogan also penned the screenplay for Michael Bay’s war drama “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” His latest crime novel, “Gangland,” published in 2022, is set in Chicago and inspired by Tony Accardo, the longest-serving mob boss in history.