Will Smith Attends Screening Of 'Emancipation,' His First Flick To Hit Theaters Since Oscars Ordeal

Back in the spotlight. Since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars this past March, the fate of the former's Hollywood projects remained in limbo, but it's now been confirmed that his Apple flick, Emancipation, will see the light of day, and on Saturday, October 2, he was in attendance for a special screening.

Held in Washington, D.C., the event — which also included a panel talk — was held by Apple and the NAACP.

Smith didn't mention his drama during the conversation, choosing to focus on the movie's important message instead.

"Throughout my career, I’ve turned down many films that were set in slavery. I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along. And this is not a film about slavery," he explained. "This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith. This is a film about the heart of a man — what could be called the first viral image."

In the film, which is based on a true story, the actor plays Peter, a slave who escapes to the north. After photos of his mutilated and scarred back are published, more and more Americans begin to voice their opposition to slavery.

"Cameras had just been created, and the image of whipped Peter went around the world," the father-of-three continued. "It was a rallying cry against slavery, and this was a story that exploded and blossomed in my heart that I wanted to be able to deliver to you in a way that only [director] Antoine Fuqua could deliver."

The movie, which just dropped its first trailer, is set to hit theaters on Friday, December 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday, December 9.

As OK! previously reported, following the Oscars incident, Smith's Netflix movie Fast and Loose was put on the back-burner, as the streaming service seemed to put their search for a director on hold.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum also resigned from the Academy and issued a public apology, insisting, "Over the last few months I have been doing a lot of thinking and personal work."

"I reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk but when he is, he will reach out," the Men in Black lead continued via a social media post. "I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. my behavior was unacceptable, and I am here whenever you’re ready to talk."

Details of the Emancipation screening were published by The Hollywood Reporter.