Emancipation

NEW YORK (AP) — After holding “Emancipation” in limbo following Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March, Apple will release the ...

“Emancipation” was shot in the summer of 2021. It was inspired by the 1863 photos of a man known as “Whipped Peter” that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly showing a Union Army medical exam of a mutilated man. The release of “Emancipation” will pose the biggest test yet of how eager moviegoers are for a movie headlined by Smith, an actor who has generated more than $6.5 billion in worldwide box office.

Will Smith's Emancipation got its first trailer, and a release date for this December.

After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. During that time Will Smith went in a meditation retreat, and issued a multiple apologies to the public, Academy, and Chris Rock. Although if Emancipation ends up being an Oscars favorite, Will Smith will seemingly be watching the ceremony from the comfort of his own home. He also dropped out of the Academy. After keeping himself out of the public eye for a number of months, Smith returned to public spaces and social media. And he recently responded after Emancipation, aka the movie held after The Slap, finally releases its first trailer. We’ll just have to wait and see how much marketing is done for the upcoming drama, and how involved Smith will end up being. Now the drama will officially be released on Apple TV+ on December 9th. The movie recently got a trailer and official release date for those with an [Apple TV+ subscription](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/apple-tv-subscription-the-plan-the-price-and-whats-included), which is a major step forward. After all, the chatter surrounding The Slap hasn’t exactly quieted down in the months following. The footage offered in this teaser is limited, but definitely highlights the “blood sweet and tears” that Will Smith mentions shedding throughout the filming process. [upcoming projects were seemingly put on hold](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/following-will-smiths-resignation-from-the-academy-two-of-his-upcoming-movies-have-hit-setbacks).

Viewers are getting a glimpse at Will Smith's first project since his infamous altercation with Chris Rock earlier this year at the Academy Awards.

[later apologized in a video](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3579575-will-smith-offers-first-on-camera-apology-to-chris-rock-for-oscars-slap/) posted on his Instagram account in July, saying he was “deeply remorseful” about the “mistake” he made. The images of the man, who escaped slavery and whose body was brutally scarred by his enslavers, helped to change the national conversation around slavery. [Antoine Fuqua](https://thehill.com/people/antoine-fuqua/) [Chris Rock](https://thehill.com/people/chris-rock/) [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://thehill.com/people/jada-pinkett-smith/) [Will Smith](https://thehill.com/people/will-smith/) [AP Entertainment](https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-entertainment/) [In The Know](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/) [In The Know](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/) [Blog Briefing Room](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/) [See All](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/) [See all Hill.TV](https://thehill.com/hilltv) [See all Video](https://thehill.com/video) [Energy & Environment](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/) [Senate](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/) [Court Battles](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/) [Technology](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/) [See All](https://thehill.com) 9, is inspired by the shocking photographs of a man, known as “Whipped Peter,” first published in 1863. [In The Know](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/)

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After holding “Emancipation” in limbo following Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March, ...

“Emancipation” was shot in the summer of 2021. It was inspired by the 1863 photos of a man known as “Whipped Peter” that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly showing a Union Army medical exam of a mutilated man. The release of “Emancipation” will pose the biggest test yet of how eager moviegoers are for a movie headlined by Smith, an actor who has generated more than $6.5 billion in worldwide box office.

Gordon, also known as "Whipped Peter," was a slave who escaped his Louisiana plantation and endured a 10-day chase through woods and swamps before he ...

Photography was still cutting-edge technology during the era, and the existence of the famous image of Gordon's brutalized back was an essential piece in the case for the Union's war against the Confederacy. [Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter](https://www.military.com/newmembers/join-cta16) to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox. Will Smith, who produced the film, stars as Peter, and the cast features Ben Foster ("Hell or High Water"), Charmaine Bingwa ("The Good Fight"), Gilbert Owuor ("Montana Story") and Mustafa Shakir ("Soul Assassin"). Collage ("Assassin's Creed," "Exodus: Gods and Kings") decided to call the character "Peter," since that's the name popularized by the photo. That photo was published first in Harper's Weekly and later as a postcard that became an international sensation and solidified support for the war across the Union territory. His story has inspired the movie "Emancipation," due to open in theaters on Dec.

That's the question facing Apple after it announced that it will release “Emancipation,” a drama about an escaped slave that it paid Smith $35 million to star ...

As it stands, the reigning best picture champion of last year’s “CODA” (2021) has a well-liked albeit quiet charmer “Cha Cha Real Smooth” from writer, director and star Cooper Raiff. If the buzz on the film’s quality is proven to be true, and we’ve arrived at our “Fuqua moment” when in 94 years only six Black directors have ever been nominated, shouldn’t that be allowed to take place? Can Apple weather this “Emancipation” storm for all the creatives involved? Will Smith, who masterfully played the role of Peter, spoke about how he (and we) hold space in this world using Peter’s life as the example.” Are Oscar voters and consumers ready to put the slap behind them? “Emancipation” screened over the weekend in Washington D.C. [Emancipation](https://variety.com/t/emancipation/),” a drama about an escaped slave that it paid Smith $35 million to star in and produce. [best actor race](https://variety.com/feature/2023-oscars-best-actor-predictions-1235327850/), which also includes Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) and Hugh Jackman (“The Son”), none of whom slapped a beloved stand-up during a global television event. If Smith’s performance was able to overcome his publicly perceived “blacklisting,” the Academy’s Actors Branch, which is comprised of about 1,400 former colleagues, acquaintances, and Hollywood adjacent working performers, can place him on their ballot to receive a nomination when voting occurs from Jan. But if Smith decides to press the flesh, he won’t be able to do it at any Academy member gatherings. The official noms will be announced on Jan. That’s because in April, facing almost certain expulsion, Smith decided to resign from membership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Fans can finally get their first look at Will Smith in the new teaser for Antoine Fuqua's fugitive slave drama, "Emancipation.".

[slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/oscars-2022-smith-apologizes-acceptance-speech-chris-rock-83712905), will hit theaters nationwide on Dec. "They never stopped talking about releasing the film, and when would be best strategically," he said. "One image, known as 'The Scourged Back,' which shows Peter's bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery."

Pre-premiere buzz for Will Smith's upcoming film Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua, divides Academy voters.

Will Smith attends the premiere of "Gemini Man" in Los Angeles on Oct. 6, 2019. Smith will star in the Apple film "Emancipation," releasing in December.