Following the slap, his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and his ten-year ban from appearing at the Academy Awards ceremony, the post-smack aftermath for Will Smith continues. While there were concerns that studios would instantly look at what projects they had in development with Smith and jettison them, some are doing exactly that and some are taking a more cautious approach.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix has canceled Smith’s upcoming film “Bright 2,” an LAPD/sci-fi hodgepodge that initially starred Smith and Joel Edgerton in a world where orcs, monsters, and fairies lived alongside humans. The initial film has its own baggage since it was written by Max Landis, a “canceled” Hollywood screenwriter excommunicated for the various accusations of sexual misconduct and emotional and psychological abuse by several women.
READ MORE: ‘Bright 2’: Louis Leterrier Takes Over For David Ayer As Director Of The Netflix Sequel
While filmmaker Louis Leterrier was supposed to take over from initial director David Ayer, no doubt there will be few tears shed for the sequel. While a success for Netflix, the original was critically reviled and has an abysmal 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney Co.’s National Geographic division is taking more of a wait-and-see approach with their “Pole To Pole” series. The company is delaying production on the nature series featuring Smith visiting the North and South Poles.
Smith has been the subject of widespread criticism and backlash due to the now-infamous Oscars incident, where the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock after Rock made jokes about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith has also been part of National Geographic’s “Welcome to Earth” series which debuted in December last year and “Pole To Pole” is the third series Smith has starred in for the company. The production was set to begin in three weeks and has now been tentatively planned to begin in the fall. This could still mean we’ll see the series appear sometime in 2023 when the backlash has died down and Disney feels more comfortable releasing it. Time will tell, but either way, if they’re still going ahead with the show and Smith in it, that likely means they’re banking it for when the optics feel right.