Trailer for ‘Emancipation’ teases Will Smith’s first project since Oscars slap

Will Smith poses in the press room with the award for best actor for "King Richard"
Associated Press/Jordan Strauss, Invision
Will Smith poses in the press room with the award for best actor for “King Richard” at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, March 13, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Viewers are getting a glimpse at Will Smith’s first project since his infamous altercation with Chris Rock earlier this year at the Academy Awards.

Apple TV+ debuted the trailer for “Emancipation” on Monday.

The film, starring Smith, focuses on an enslaved man who, “relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family,” works to “evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom,” according to Apple TV+.

The movie, which premieres Dec. 9, is inspired by the shocking photographs of a man, known as “Whipped Peter,” first published in 1863. The images of the man, who escaped slavery and whose body was brutally scarred by his enslavers, helped to change the national conversation around slavery.

The trailer comes days after Smith and director Antoine Fuqua screened “Emancipation” last week at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual conference in Washington.

The film is Smith’s first appearance back on the big screen since he shocked audiences by slapping Rock onstage at the Oscars ceremony in March following a joke the comedian made about the “King Richard” star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith, 54, was banned by the board of governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences from attending any of its events for 10 years.

The actor later apologized in a video posted on his Instagram account in July, saying he was “deeply remorseful” about the “mistake” he made.

Tags Antoine Fuqua Chris Rock Jada Pinkett Smith Will Smith

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