Will Smith Movie Emancipation Could Release For 2023 Awards Season | Pretty Reel

Release plans for the Apple TV+ movie Emancipation are said to be on hold following the controversy created by Will Smith at the Oscars this year. About a month before the Oscars, Smith wrapped filming Emancipation, which some were already touting as having Oscar potential. The plan was to release the film this fall, but after Smith tarnished his reputation by punching Chris Rock on stage, Emancipation was reportedly pushed back to 2023.

Worse still for Smith, he had also been banned from attending all Academy events for the next decade, including the Academy Awards. That doesn’t mean the actor or the movies he appears in still can’t be nominated for an Oscar, though. As The New York Times is now reporting, there are internal discussions at Apple about possibly releasing Emancipation this year after all, which would qualify the film for next year’s awards season.

The idea behind releasing Emancipation this year is said to come from the film which did very well with a recent test screening to the general public. The response was “overwhelmingly positive”, with Smith’s performance in particular drawing praise. A viewer is quoted as describing the actor as “volcanic” in the film. Viewers polled after the screening also said they were “not deterred” by Smith’s actions at the Oscars, at least not to the point of letting them affect their viewing experience of the film.

Will the Oscars eclipse Will Smith’s performance?

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Meanwhile, there is also said to be a big risk in moving forward with a 2022 release for Emancipation. This could possibly upset Academy voters who are looking to rule out any reminders of the Oscars slap in the 2023 ceremony, as there won’t even be jokes about the controversy allowed on the show. next year. Some may think it’s best to let more time pass so the Oscar slap doesn’t become the main focus of Emancipation media coverage.

“No matter how good the movie is, all the press, all the critics, all the feature writers, all the awards tipsters are going to watch it and talk about the slap in the face,” said Stephen, former co-chief executive of Fox. Searchlight. Gilula spoke about the situation. “There is a very high risk that the film will not be judged on its pure merit. This puts him in a very untenable context.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, Smith apologized in a video that was posted to his YouTube account. He says he tried to work things out directly with Chris Rock, who didn’t want to meet with him just yet, but wanted everyone to know he was sorry.

“I was foggy at that time. It’s all blurry,” Smith says in the video. “I contacted Chris and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk. When he is, he will stretch out his hand. I’ll tell you, Chris, I’m sorry. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk. »

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Will Smith Movie Emancipation Could Release For 2023 Awards Season | Pretty Reel