Apple has chosen to postpone the release of Will Smith’s film ‘Emancipation’ because of his slap incident at the Oscars 2022. According to Variety, the picture, which was slated to be the platform’s next big production following CODA, which won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2022, has been postponed and will now be released in 2023.
Emancipation did not have an exact release date but it was expected to come out sometime this year. The film was already getting Oscar buzz prior to Slapgate and production sources told Variety there is now an ‘unspoken truth’ that the flick will be tabled. This week it was revealed by insiders that Smith has been seeking therapy in the wake of his on-air assault of Chris Rock during the Oscars. Prior to this year’s Oscars, the film was already generating awards hype, but Smith’s on-camera assault on Chris Rock put the studio into damage control.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua would have been Smith’s first release after his assault on comedian Chris Rock, but it has now been announced that it will not be released this year. According to Variety, the decision to move the film’s release date from 2022 to next year could be related to the fallout from the Oscars slapping event, since the film’s release could imply that the slapping incident will be the main topic of conversation during the film’s promotion. Another reason for the film’s delay, according to reports, is that Fuqua is still in post-production and the film may not be finished by 2022. Smith plays a runaway slave named Peter in Emancipation, which is based on a true incident from an 1863 photograph titled ‘The Scourged Back.’
For the unversed, Chris Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head when presenting the best documentary feature award at the 2022 Oscars. Rock claimed he couldn’t wait to watch Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia areata, star in “G.I. Jane 2,” prompting Smith to smack Rock on the stage. “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!” Smith yelled as he returned to his seat.Smith was named Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards just minutes after the incident. Smith apologised to the Academy and fellow nominees when accepting his first Oscar for best actor (main role) in ‘King Richard,’ but did not mention Rock. Smith apologised to Chris Rock and the Academy on his social media account after getting outrage for his disruptive behaviour.