Thousands of adoring fans screamed for Will Smith at the London premiere of his new film Hancock.

He was joined by co-stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman.

Smith plays the title character, a bungling super-hero who manages to do untold damage during his well-intentioned bids to save lives.

He said of his character: "Hancock is a bit of a drinker and he's kind of an alcoholic super-hero... we worked really hard and concentrated on this film to try and create something that was different."

In the film, Hancock is not the type of person to care about other people's opinions until he saves the life of a PR executive.

At the London premiere, Smith thanked his devoted fans: "You guys always take really good care of me... this is a beautiful thing."

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.