Despite the slap, Will Smith is back as a rebellious slave in Emancipation: a new Oscar role?

Despite the slap case, Apple TV+ is going to release a movie starring Will Smith this year.

In

, based on a true story, the actor plays “Whipped Peter,” a slave who escapes from a Louisiana plantation in the 1860s and flees north to join the Union Army.

Ben Foster, Steven Ogg and Charmaine Bingwa are also in the cast.

Read alsoWillow Smith speaks for the first time on the slap of her father to Chris Rock

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (

,

),

was put aside for a time after the incident at the last Oscars ceremony in March this year: Will Smith had indeed slapped Chris Rock in front of the audience dumbfounded, because of a joke uttered about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Ironically, the ex-Prince of Bel Air had won the Oscar for best actor a few minutes later for his role in

.

The slapping incident nevertheless led Will Smith to resign from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

His presence is now considered undesirable at the Oscars for the next 10 years.

This does not prevent him from being named there.

Rumors have suggested that

will be delayed to 2023. Eventually, the film will debut in theaters on December 2, and then on Apple TV+ on December 9, making it eligible for the next statuette award.

If he is one of the nominees, Will Smith (whose performance is "volcanic", according to the New York Times), could perform a historic double, although he remains in difficulty within the profession.

He will face current favorites for the statuette this year, including Brendan Fraser for

and Colin Farrell for

.

"I am a human being and I made a mistake": in video, Will Smith apologizes at length after Chris Rock's speech

“Will Smith is a great guy,” director Antoine Fuqua told Deadline.

“I worked with him for a few years to make this film.

He's a wonderful person, an incredible partner, and he did an incredible job on this film.

Chris Rock is a good guy, I know him too… And I just pray that it works out for them as friends, to move on”.

Will Smith posted a video in July apologizing for his behavior, expressing his deep remorse.

Apology rejected by Chris Rock.

A study also showed that his popularity suffered a very significant and precipitous decline after the incident.