Don’t considerWill Smithto be fully canceled just yet. While the actor certainly received an immense amount of backlash following that controversial incident that happened at the Academy Awards in March, his acting career hasn’t gone entirely off the rails, as there will still be upcoming content he’ll be featured in. He’s set to star in the upcoming Apple TV+ movieEmancipation, and while that film was originally set to arrive this fall, it has been pushed back to 2023 with an exact date yet to be announced, perVariety.
Emancipationgetting delayed is better news than for the film’s release to be outright canceled. There are other Smith projects in the works that have been placed on hold, though it is possible they could pick up production at some point down the line after more of the backlash stemming from the Oscars incident cools down. This would include a planned fourthBad Boysfilm, which was said to be moving along in pre-production. The Netflix movieFast and Looseis another Smith film that’s said to be on pause indefinitely.
An action thriller,Emancipationcomes from a script by William N. Collage and is directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day,The Equalizerfilms). The action thriller features Smith in the lead role and also stars Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, and Gilbert Owuor. Smith also produces with Todd Black, Joey McFarland, and Jon Mone.
The film is based on the true story of an escaped slave named Gordon, whose documented mistreatment helped spread awareness about the cruelty of American slavery and fueled the abolitionist movement. It follows a slave named Peter (Smith) who’s almost whipped to death at a Louisiana plantation when he escapes his tormentors and heads North with the goal of joining the Union Army. The film was seen as an early contender for Oscar buzz, given the talent involved.
Related:Will Smith Among Upcoming Guests of David Letterman’s Netflix Talk Show
Will Smith Has Been Taking Some Personal Time
As most everyone knows by this point, Will Smith had generated worldwide controversy after slapping Chris Rock during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards. He went on to win the Best Lead Actor award that night for his role inKing Richard, prompting criticism over the Academy’s failure to have Smith removed from the building. An apology to Rock said to be written by Smith was posted on his Instagram account the next day, and the actor has been mostly quiet ever since, though he wasspotted in Indiafor unknown reasons.
Meanwhile, Smith’s next on-screen appearance will be for David Letterman’s Netflix talk show,My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. The episode was actually filmed prior to the incident in March, meaning Smith won’t be talking about the Oscars slap specifically, nor will he know that his career is about to be hit with a major setback. Be that as it may, it might be a good sign that Netflix has still allowed the interview to be featured, meaning that companies aren’t willing to totally cut ties with him just yet, even if they’re shelving or delaying certain projects. The series starts streaming its new episodes on May 20.
