Will Smith’s fated night at the Oscars altered his life and career. Not only did the slap cost him ten years of attendance at the Oscars, but it has cost him several career opportunities.
Netflix Cancels Bright 2
Today it has been announced that Netflix will be the next to cancel Will Smith. Will Smith starred in a light-hearted cop film where he partnered with an Orc entitled Bright back in 2017. At the time, Netflix was optioning to do a sequel to the film. Unfortunately, now the word is there will be no sequel.
Will Faces Repercussions
It’s no secret that Will’s actions at the Oscar left a bad taste. A lot of Hollywood has responded by distancing themselves from the star. Sony studios were one of the first to cancel with Bad Boys. Fast and Loose, another upcoming project, was put on hold. Now the cancellation of the sequel to Bright rides on the heels of the others. However, Netflix contends the cancellation has nothing to do with the Oscar incident despite the timing. As a source notes,
“Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw revealed that Netflix has abandoned plans to make a sequel to Bright, but disclosed that it was not related to a recent slap incident at the Oscars.”
So why was it canceled?
Who knows? Another source contends there were already a lot of roadblocks to getting the sequel to screen. As noted,
“The sequel has suffered from a troubled production. Most notably, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Ayer exit the director’s chair.”
Netflix’s current response seems like a legit rationale for canceling the project. However, that is not to say the Oscar incident didn’t put the final nail in the coffin.
Will’s Road Ahead
Smith has a long road ahead of him. Although he has been a sitting duck to cancel culture, he is not fully canceled. In an earlier interview, Michael Bay expressed interest in working with Smith. Emancipation, set to air on Apple TV, is still possible. Pole to Pole, a docuseries that features Smith, is still happening. As a source notes,
“NatGeo has delayed the start of production on its big Will Smith show following the Slap. But it’s still happening.”
So, all is not lost
Lessons Abound
There’s so much the masses can glean from this incident. One important takeaway is using wisdom and weighing the cost of action before acting. Undoubtedly, we all get knocked down. But the most important thing, when we do, is we get back up. So although Smith may be down now, he’s certainly not out.
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Written by Renae Richardson
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Did you read about DJ Jazzy Jeff’s response to the Oscar Incident? If not, check out FM Hip Hop’s retrospective article.
