Actor banned from Academy events following Chris Rock slap will compete with thriller, which is now available in December.
Will Smith will compete for the award next year as best actor. The surprise announcement that Emancipation, his slave thriller, will be released in December makes it clear that Smith will be competing.
The Apple film, which was originally slated to be released in 2022, was canceled by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua after Chris Rock slapped Chris Rock during this year’s Oscars ceremony. He went on to win best actor for King Richard.
Emancipation is said to have a budget of $120 million. It is based upon the true story about an enslaved man who fled a Louisiana plantation in 1861s and made his way north to join the Union army. Charmaine Bingwa, Steven Ogg, and Ben Foster are also stars.
The film was screened in Washington last night as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Legislative Conference. A trailer was also released today, along with a 2-December theatrical release date and Apple TV+ on 9.12.
Fuqua told Deadline that Will Smith was a great man. He was my partner for several years while I made this movie. He is an incredible person, a great partner and did an amazing job with this movie. Chris Rock is a great guy. Chris and I are good friends. I hope it all works out for them and that we can continue to move forward.
Smith, who previously declined the lead role in Django Unchained explained why he didn’t want to star in a movie about slavery because he wanted to “depict Black excellence”.
He said about Emancipation, “This was one which was about love. And the power of Black love.” “And that was something I could rock with. We were going make a story about Black love making us invincible.
Smith uploaded a video on July 5 to apologize for his behavior at the Oscars. He said he was “deeply sorry”. Later, Rock dismissed the video as a “hostage-video”.
A study showed Smith’s popularity experienced a “very significant and precipitous drop” following the incident. The actor was barred from any Academy event for ten years.
The actor will be competing against other favourites, including Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin). Apple won last year’s best picture Oscar for Coda, a family drama.
