The Slap-termath: Will Smith Film Projects Come To A Hault

Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@willsmith)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, two of Will Smith’s upcoming projects with Netflix and Sony will halt production following the actor’s on-stage slapping of comedian Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars.

Ahead of the 2022 Oscars, Netflix was in the process of finding a new director for Fast and Loose after David Leitch withdrew. Smith was to play a crime boss with a memory problem.

Sony is also putting the brakes on Bad Boys 4, gearing up ahead of the awards show.

Apple +’s slave drama Emancipation is in post-production and had a 2022 release planned, but no specified release date.

This could even mean a pause for the long-awaited I Am Legend sequel, set to star Michael B. Jordan, though nothing has been confirmed yet.

Smith slapped Rock across the face for poking fun at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition, Alopecia.

“Keep my wife’s name out of your f—–g mouth!” he yelled as he walked back to his seat following the slapping. He then went on to win and receive the Oscar for “Best Actor” for his performance as Richard Williams in King Richard, the biopic about tennis superstars Serena and Venus William’s father.

On Monday evening following the Oscars, Smith apologized for his actions.

This past Friday, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

While some support the consequences Smith is facing after the infamous slap. Others are concerned about the implications of Smith receiving harsh punishment as a Black man compared to his white film industry peers.

A few fans shared their viewpoints on Twitter.