Wed. March 5, 1997

Will Smith in Talks To Go 'West'

By Anita M. Busch

LAS VEGAS (Variety) - Will Smith, star of the upcoming "Men In Black," is set to reunite with the director of that movie on a feature version of the TV series "Wild, Wild West."

Smith has begun talks to play the James T. West role made popular on television by Robert Conrad. Director Barry Sonnenfeld ("Sleepers") sealed his deal last Friday and is eyeing an October start for the project.

CBS ran the popular series from 1965 through 1975, and the show still runs in syndication. The series starred Conrad and Ross Martin, who played West's loyal and witty sidekick Artemus Gordon. Names that have been mentioned for the Gordon role are George Clooney and Johnny Depp.