the slap of Will Smith a Chris Rock at the Oscars continues to rumble in Hollywood, and has Apple at a crossroads. New York Times reports that those from Cupertino still don’t know what to do with emancipationa drama based on the American Civil War, starring and co-produced by Smith himself, for Apple TV+.
The report indicates that the Californian company has not yet been able to figure out what decision to make regarding the film, whose shooting ended a month before the scandal on the stage of the Dolby Theater last March.
On the one hand, it is rumored that the film It has great potential to compete in the Oscars. On the other, a negative reaction to the presence of Will Smith by the public, the press and, mainly, the Academy is feared. It is even mentioned that there are doubts about how to approach an advertising campaign to promote the hypothetical launch of it.
In case of emancipation It is one of the most complex for Apple from its landing to the production and distribution of series and movies. Apparently, those of the apple have in their hands a material capable of stealing a good part of the eyes in the next awards season. But they fear making headlines for the wrong reasons.
The report of NYT quote to Stephen Gilula, the former CEO of Fox Searchlight, who has spoken out on the matter. “Regardless of the quality of the film, all the press, critics, writers and award prognosticators will see it and talk about the slap. There is a very high risk that the film will not be judged on its pure merit. What it puts it in a very unsustainable context,” he said.
If those from Cupertino intend to take advantage of the feature film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Will Smith, in the face of possible Oscar nominations, they will have to launch it on Apple TV + before the end of the year. The other position would be to wait until 2023 for its launch, something that Variety he had already mentioned as a very strong possibility last May.
Apple, faced with a dilemma over the new film by Will Smith
One of the strongest points of the dilemma that Apple would face would be in the quality of emancipation. According to New York Timesearlier this year the company organized a test screening in Chicago which garnered extremely positive reviews, both from the film itself and from Will Smith’s performance. He also mentions that, after the Chris Rock slap, a survey of attendees did not change his view of the artist’s work.
Although the Academy has banned Will Smith from participating in the Oscars for the next 10 years, he can still be nominated for awards corresponding to his work. However, if the potential success of emancipation on Apple TV+ translates to a new Oscar nomination for best actor, the repercussions surrounding his absence could generate unwanted publicity. Not to mention if, beyond the conflicts, he was declared the winner and was not present at the ceremony.
If Apple gives up releasing the film this year and delays it until 2023, it would not be the first time that it has made such a decision. He already did it in 2019, when he delayed the launch of The Banker for accusations of sexual harassment against the son of one of its producers.
What is still unknown is if there are real possibilities that the new Will Smith movie never see the light of day. After all, let’s not forget that after the episode with Chris Rock, several of the actor’s projects were canceled or suspended. Situation that has not improved even with his most recent apology.
