Will Smith may be back in business sooner rather than later, as a significant project that was put on hold appears to be on track to see the light of day after all… This is after the film went through much scrutiny.
The embattled actor, who is still attempting to restore his image following the Academy Awards slap, was in attendance Saturday at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st annual Legislative Conference, which was presented by the NAACP… with a slew of execs in attendance.
Smith was standing next to director Antoine Fuqua, who was in charge of their new film, ‘Emancipation,’ explaining to the audience why he’d been so opposed to slave films throughout his career… But it’s worth mentioning that he didn’t perceive the film via that lens.
This film is about tenacity, drive, and the sheer will to survive and be free. He also discussed the role he’ll be playing, “Whipped Peter,” whose images from the 1800s (showing scars on his back) went viral at the time.
In terms of the film itself… The word is that it’s fantastic and pretty strong, with many people praising its significance for African-American culture and America as a whole.
The joke alludes to the hoopla around ‘Emancipation’ before Will smacked Chris Rock on national television — there was a lot of talk about Oscars, based on how people were reacting… Even though Will could not attend any ceremony, this is still the case.
As we are all aware… Smith has been barred from attending Academy Awards ceremonies for 10 years. Assuming Apple introduces this thing within the next decade and Smith is in the running, someone else would have to go and accept the award in case he wins.
There’s no indication on when ‘Emancipation’ will be available on streaming services, but if they’re already screening it and getting positive reviews… Something tells us it might happen this year.