麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Will Smith's 'Emancipation' gets release date, post-slap

Share
NEW YORK -

After holding "Emancipation" in limbo following Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March, Apple will release the actor's next big project this December.

In the fallout of Smith's smack of the comedian, the fate of "Emancipation" -- a US$120 million runaway slave thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua -- had been uncertain. One of Apple's most high-profile productions yet, the film had once been expected to be an Oscar contender this year. But an awards-season rollout of a film headlined by Smith, whom the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, has obvious complications.

Nevertheless, Apple TV+ said Monday that it will debut "Emancipation" on Dec. 2 in theatres and begin streaming it Dec. 9.

Over the weekend, Apple and the NAACP held the first screening of the film in Washington as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Legislative Conference. Smith attended the screening and spoke on stage.

The release of "Emancipation" will pose the biggest test yet of how eager moviegoers are for a movie headlined by Smith, an actor who has generated more than US$6.5 billion in worldwide box office. Still, the brief exclusive run in theatres will also mean "Emancipation," like Apple's best picture-winning "CODA," will be seen primarily in homes.

Regardless, the streamer isn't shying away from its star. A black-and-white profile of Smith's face, with a chain around his neck, adorns the movie poster.

In the film, Smith plays a man named Peter who escapes from slavery in Louisiana. It was inspired by the 1863 photos of a man known as "Whipped Peter" that first appeared in Harper's Weekly showing a Union Army medical exam of a mutilated man. The film had originally been planned to shoot in Georgia before Fuqua and Smith moved the production to New Orleans in response to Georgia's then-newly enacted laws restricting voting access.

"Emancipation" was shot in the summer of 2021. Until the slap, its release had been expected in 2022. Smith resigned before he could be banned by the academy, but remains eligible for an Oscar nomination.

"My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable," he said.

Since his, Smith has largely stayed out the public eye. In late July, he gave his most extensive comments about the incident in a video posted to social media in which he apologized to Rock, who had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds

If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought 鈥 such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.

Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.