Will Smith’s upcoming film, Emanicpation, is now set for a 2022 release, having originally been slated for 2023. Apple TV announced on Monday that they have pulled the release date of the film forward. This has led to widespread speculation about how members of the Academy will react to the film and its lead actor, Will Smith. So, could Will Smith be back on the Oscar's trail already?
Cast your mind back to March. Chris was presenting the award for Best Documentary when he teased Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was starring in 'G.I. Jane 2', making a dig at her shaved head. For context, last year, Jada publicly shared that she suffers from alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss.
The shocking moment led to further sanction: the Oscar winner was banned from attending the ceremony for the next 10 years. However, industry officials made clear that while Will is still unable to attend, he can still be nominated for the prestigious awards.asked the Academy, including members of the actors branch.
One member of the actors branch said, 'I think more time should go by before Will Smith is considered for any award. I’m surprisedis being released, but I assume it’s for financial reasons, as well as hoping for award nominations. However wonderful he may be in the film, it will be hard to watch it and not continually think of the slap. It will be really hard to judge the performance on merit, and by extension the whole film.