Home » Apple delays Will Smith’s new film over controversy over Chris Rock’s slap

Apple delays Will Smith’s new film over controversy over Chris Rock’s slap

by Stewart Cole

Apple has reportedly delayed its release Emancipation, an upcoming film starring Will Smith, following the recent controversy over slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. Although the film did not have an official release date, it was originally expected to be released sometime this fall, but it is now believed to be the “unspoken truth” that the film will debut sometime in 2023. a new report from VarietyThere have apparently been ongoing discussions about its possible release in the fall, but it is “very unlikely”.

Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua, follows Peter (played by Smith), a slave who escapes from a Louisiana after being flogged almost to death. Peter tricks the cold-blooded hunters, led by Fassel, as he makes his way north, where he joins the Union Army. The film is based on the true story of a runaway slave named Gordon. Photographs of his bare back, severely flogged by a supervisor’s whipping, were published worldwide in 1863, giving the abolitionist movement proof of the cruelty of American slavery.

The film was set to be the first film release for Smith after the controversy, with some sources believing it could have led the actor to win the Oscars backstage after this year’s Best Actor win for King Richard . The report cites both the controversy over the slap and previous production delays and an already complete drop in films for Apple as possible reasons behind the move.

One of the production delays occurred when the film relocated to Louisiana in protest of Georgia’s vote-restricting laws.

“Right now, the nation is coming to terms with its history and trying to eliminate remnants of institutional racism in order to achieve true racial justice,” the filmmakers said in a joint statement at the time. “We can not in good conscience provide financial support to a government that enacts back-to-back voting laws designed to restrict voter access. “Many Americans have to vote. Unfortunately, we feel compelled to move our film production from Georgia to another state.”

What do you think of the latest Will Smith update? Emancipation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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