Will Smith is set to compete for next year’s Best Actor with the surprise announcement that his slavery thriller Emancipation will be released in December.
The Apple movie, directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua, was originally slated for release in 2022 but was shelved after the actor slapped Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars before winning Best Actor for his role in King Richard.
Emancipation, which reportedly has a budget of $120 million, is based on the true story of a slave who escaped from a Louisiana plantation in the 1860s and headed north to join the Union Army. Ben Foster, Steven Ogg and Charmaine Bingwa also star.
The film screened last night in Washington as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s legislative conference and a trailer was released today with a December 2 theatrical release date before heading to Apple TV+ on December 9.
“Will Smith is a great guy,” Fuqua told Deadline. “I was with him for a few years making this movie. He’s a wonderful person, amazing partner and he did an amazing job on this movie. Chris Rock is a great guy, I know Chris too… and I pray so that it works for them as friends, and that we can move forward.
Smith, who previously turned down the lead role in Django Unchained, explained that he was reluctant to star in a film about slavery because he wanted to “portray black excellence” instead.
“He was the one who talked about love and the power of black love,” he said of Emancipation. “And that was something I could rock with. We were going to do a story about how black love makes us invincible.
Smith posted a video in July apologizing for his behavior at the Oscars, saying he was “deeply remorseful”. Rock later dismissed it as a “hostage video”.
A study showed that Smith’s popularity suffered “a very significant and precipitous decline” after the incident. The actor was banned from attending any Academy events for 10 years.
The actor will be competing against current frontrunners for the prize, including Brendan Fraser for The Whale and Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin. Last year, Apple won the Best Picture Oscar for the family drama Coda.