Why Are Most Of Will Smith’s Upcoming Films On Hold?

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Will Smith’s career has suffered as a result of the 2022 Oscar slap; here’s a list of every upcoming Will Smith film and why the majority of them are on hold or cancelled. Is there a celebrity more synonymous with box office success than Will Smith? Since the mid-1990s, he’s been guiding franchises like Men in Black, visionary sci-fi/fantasies like I, Robot, comic book films like Suicide Squad, and heartfelt dramas like Seven Pounds and The Pursuit of Happiness to varying degrees of success. Smith has been an unstoppable force for so long, but his behaviour at the 2022 Oscars has thrown his career into doubt.

Some of Will Smith’s upcoming films have been delayed or are likely to be cancelled. It’s a shame, given the star’s versatility and boundless talent. Furthermore, many of the films appeared to be promising. So, without further ado, here’s a list of every upcoming Will Smith film and why it’s been put on hold.

Bright 2

Smith was supposed to reunite with Bright co-star Joel Edgerton for the Netflix film Bright 2. There was no confirmation of a release date, nor were there any details about the plot or the cast. The first hiccup for the film occurred behind the scenes, when original director David Ayer and original writer Max Landis were fired from the project. Louis Leterrier, the director of The Incredible Hulk, was supposed to write the script, while T.S. Nowlin, the writer of The Maze Runner, was supposed to direct. After the 2022 Oscars, everything changed for the upcoming Will Smith film, and it has been stuck in preproduction with no chance of ever being released.

When Bright premiered on Netflix in December 2017, critics panned it as a shambles and a misguided flop. Bright received approximately 11 million views in its first three days on Netflix, indicating that people didn’t seem to mind. The movie follows a human cop (Smith) and an Orc cop (Edgerton) as they work together to obtain a powerful wand before another mythical crime boss does. It was most likely deemed successful based on these numbers alone, prompting Netflix to approve a sequel. However, it does not appear that Bright 2 will be released any time soon.

The Council

Will Smith was cast as the leading man in a new Netflix film called The Council in September 2019, reuniting him with Concussion director Peter Landesman. Smith was set to play Nicky Barnes, the real-life leader of an African-American criminal organization that ruled Harlem in the 1970s. The New York Times dubbed Barnes “Mr. Untouchable” but he eventually fell from his perch. Due to the actor’s fall from grace, The Council, like the character, will not be available on streaming services.

With Will Smith as the only slated cast member for (what used to be) the upcoming film, the film has been stuck in pre-production for years. Furthermore, no new information about the film has been released since 2021. As a result, it’s highly likely that The Council will be phased out in the near future.

Emancipation

In addition to The Council, Smith was set to star in Emancipation, a new Apple TV movie, in a third fact-based film. Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua of Training Day, starred Smith as Peter, a slave in 1863. Peter eludes his captors and sets out on a perilous journey to the North, eventually joining the Union Army. A famous photograph of Peter’s horribly scarred back was taken during a medical examination, which fueled anti-slavery sentiment and encouraged free black people to fight in the Civil War.

Despite being in post-production, the film was put on hold after Will Smith’s Oscar snub. It was originally scheduled to premiere in 2022, and while it hasn’t been canceled, it won’t be available on Netflix in that year.

Other Consequences Of Will Smith’s Oscars 2022 Slap

Will Smith’s projects have been halted in general, not just the ones on this list. Smith was set to star in the Netflix film Fast + Loose, which is now in jeopardy. The film’s production has been halted, and it’s unclear whether they’ll pick up the project again at a later date, recast Smith, or abandon it altogether. In addition, when he issued his apology, he resigned from his position in the Academy and is no longer able to participate in the process. It’s debatable whether he’ll be eligible for an Oscar in the future, but that doesn’t really matter because he won’t be making movies for a long time.

The fallout from the Oscar snub also cast a gloomy pall over the evening in question. There were several Oscar victories, including Ariana DeBose’s win for West Side Story, which was her first. All of these events, as well as others, were overshadowed by the slap, which became the only topic of conversation at the Academy Awards. Will Smith’s career has suffered a setback, as all of his upcoming films have been put on hold.

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