Actor Will Smith’s upcoming projects, such as Fast and Loose with Netflix and Bad Boys 4, have been halted by the respective production houses in light of his actions at the 94th Oscars.
After the Academy-Award winning actor slapped comedian and presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, his upcoming films are reportedly being put on hold.
Smith struck Rock across the face after the latter made a joke was about Pinkett being cast in GI Jane 2 because of her shaved head. Pinkett has been diagnosed with alopecia areata, a condition that causes a sudden loss of hair.
Smith, who was honoured with the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the film King Richard, shortly after this, has since resigned from the Academy and apologised to Rock.
In the statement announcing his resignation from the Academy, the actor said that he was “heartbroken” and accepted responsibility for all the consequences of his behaviour during the ceremony. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film,” Smith added.
However, the actor continues to face repercussions.
In the aftermath of the incident, that also involved Smith yelling and cussing at Rock to not mention his wife’s name, the Academy’s Board of Governors held a review meeting to discuss the next steps, following which disciplinary action was initiated against Smith. The exact nature of the disciplinary action – suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions – is to be determined at the next board meeting on April 18.
Meanwhile, the actor’s upcoming projects are being stalled by production houses as well.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has quietly put its Smith-starrer Fast and Loose on the back burner. The film is the story of a crime boss who loses his memory after an attack.
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Incidentally, a week before the Oscars, filmmaker David Leitch had withdrawn from the project and moved on to Universal’s Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling, which is set to begin production in August. The streaming giant, which had begun looking for another director to take over, has now halted the process.
The future of the project is now up in the air and it remains unclear whether Netflix will go ahead with Smith, or bring a new actor-director duo on board.
Aside from Fast and Loose, Smith’s Bad Boys 4 with Martin Lawrence, which was in active development, has also been paused. It is reported that some other projects featuring Smith, that are currently in pre-production, are likely to face the same fate.
The actor has the action thriller Emancipation with Apple+ in post-production at present. However, the streaming platform is yet to set a release date for the film.