Will Smith Projects Put On Hold: ‘Bad Boys 4’ & Netflix’s ‘Fast and Loose’ Which David Leitch Has Left

With such a great controversy as the Oscar slap, consequences and reprisals are sure to come in the aftermath. While Will Smith has side-stepped some punishments from the Academy by quitting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences—though an inquiry will still go forward regardless, and there could still be further penalties applied—others in Hollywood are still considering their options. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is said to be considering punitive measures, and in the first sign, the smack will hurt Smith’s career —as many expected and predicted—some of his projects are falling apart.

READ MORE: Will Smith Resigns From The Academy: “My Actions Were Inexcusable”

The Hollywood Reporter has a new report breaking down some studios and streamers that have suddenly gone gunshy by association with Will Smith. The big one is the Netflix project, “Fast & Loose.” According to THR, “Fast & Loose” has been put on the back burner by Netflix. The prognostic bullet dodged in the situation, more like a stroke of luck, is that a few weeks before the Oscars, “Fast & Loose” director David Leitch (“Deadpool 2,” “Atomic Blonde”) detached himself from the project.

Leitch had apparently decided to pick the project “Fall Guy” for Universal, instead, starring Ryan Gosling, which is supposed to start production in August. Evidently, Leitch picked well since he decided before the Oscar slap. Netflix was said to be looking for replacements, then the Oscars happened, and well, now, it’s no one’s priority.

Another project being put on hold is Sony’s “Bad Boys 4.” None of this should be a surprise. Hollywood likes to pump the brakes on a figure when they become toxic or, in Smith’s case, optically unfavorable, shall we say. At least for now. These two projects might be the first of many, as many studios are likely pressing pause on any Will Smith-related projects at the moment.

That said, Hollywood is fickle; this could blow over in eight months, and Smith could be back to work on these exact same projects if the incident doesn’t mushroom more. The upside of Smith’s time-out could mean potentially taking on some more adventurous projects. Smith is notoriously picky, often plays it safe, and doesn’t really work that much if he doesn’t have to. If his career is in a tailspin, as some have suggested—though that really remains to be seen—it could encourage the actor to take on some more daring projects and stretch his wings, but who knows if he’ll go there.

Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences last night as the backlash against him grows. “I was out of line, and I was wrong. I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he said in a statement.

Smith’s next big project is Antoine Fuqua’s slavery drama “Emancipation” for Apple TV+, which is said to be an Oscar contender in the fall potentially, but currently has no release date. Given the Oscar fallout, it would not surprise if Apple took a beat and delayed the film to next year, but we’ll likely find out soon what their plan will be.