Will Smith’s highly anticipated Apple film, Emancipation, gets its first screening in Washington D.C. Apple and NAACP hosted the Emancipation screening during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st Annual Legislative Conference, as reported by THR. The screening was followed by a conversation about the film with Fuqua, Will Smith and Mary Elliott, curator of American Slavery. The upcoming film has received positive reviews from critics.
Emancipation is based on a true story and follows Peter, played by Will Smith, who runs away from his plantation in search of his family, outwitting cold-blooded hunters and surviving the Louisiana swamps along the way. Peter eventually joins the Union Army. During a medical examination, his bare back, which had scars on it from a near-fatal whipping at the hands of his former plantation’s overseer, was photographed. The Independent published the photo, undoubtedly proving the cruelty and barbarity of slavery in America.
The upcoming project is directed and executive produced by Fuqua. Emancipation has been penned by William N. Collage. The film is produced by Smith and Jon Mone through Westbrook Studios, Joey McFarland through McFarland Entertainment and Todd Black through Escape Artists. Chris Brigham, James Lassiter, Heather Washington, Cliff Roberts, Glen Basner and Scott Greenberg are executive producing.
The upcoming film will be the first project after Smith’s that infamous slap. Previously, it was predicted that the upcoming film will be one of 2022’s most promising ones, with some even expecting that Smith could win back-to-back acting Oscars for Emancipation. However, after Smith’s controversial Oscar slap, the fate of the project was seemingly unclear. Though the film didn’t has a confirmed release date, the screening indicates Apple is looking to release it soon.
At the 2022 Oscars, Smith walked onstage during the ceremony and surprised the world when he slapped presenter Chris Rock, who had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Though the actor won an Academy Award for his acting in King Richards, he has to resign from the Academy. The actor has also been banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years. Moreover, some of Smith’s projects have been put on hold with several films have been cancelled. Since the Oscars 2022 incident, Smith has apologized to Rock, Rock’s family, his fellow Oscar winners and more.
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