The moment Will Smith charged on stage and punched Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards last Sunday, the film industry immediately began to speculate on what the impact of the incident might be on the career of the actor. Although Smith received applause for his first Oscar just a few minutes afterward, it wasn’t clear how much fans and studios would be embracing any future projects Smith was working on.
The initial domino that fell was Smith’s participation within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy took the lead, initiating an investigation into Smith’s conduct , with the possibility of being expelled from the institution being considered as a possible outcome. Smith decided to take action in the first instance, resigning from the Academy prior to the possibility of be expelled and declaring that he was willing to accept any future penalties.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter has disclosed it has been reported that Netflix has halted the development of ” Fast and Loose,” the upcoming film that was planned to have Smith as an infamous criminal who loses his memory but then discovers that he’s living in a double life. “Deadpool 2” director David Leitch was slated to lead the project, however, Leitch resigned one week prior to the Oscars and instead chose to be the director Ryan Gosling in “The Fall Guy.” Sources who have been interviewed confirm that Netflix has put the film on hold and is likely to decide to scrap it or continue with an alternative director and actor however they’re wary of working with Smith in the aftermath of the Oscars.
This isn’t the first time Smith losing an opportunity because of his conduct during the Oscars The report suggests that it’s likely to not be the final. Sources say that Sony has also halted the development of “Bad Boys 4,” despite Smith receiving 40 pages of script prior to the Oscars and also stating that Smith’s other projects will likely suffer this fate.
Smith’s upcoming film has been dubbed “Emancipation,” a runaway slave thriller by Director Antoine Fuqua. It’s an Apple film is in post-production and set to release in the coming months, but there’s no information about how Smith’s incident has affected the plans.
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