The echo of Slap for Will Smith continues to be a rocky road. Smith apologized a lot for his actions: one on stage when he accepted his Oscar, one after Chris Rock and finally one where he resigned from the Academy. However, despite his apology, measures continue to be taken by organizations that work closely with Smith. Following his resignation from the Academy, SAG-AFTRA announced that they had contacted the Academy and the ABC to deal “appropriately” with the situation within their members. Contradictory responses from the actions of the Smith Academy and what happened in response that night also brought to light questions within the Oscar organization and how they might react to future events. Rock, whom Smith slapped after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, spoke shortly before a comedy show, but said that “eventually” he would address the night and Smith in time. While the future of Smith’s career shortly after this weekend remains uncertain, here are some ideas for his ongoing projects. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Netflix reportedly “slowed down” the development of Smith’s Fast and Loose. Many factors may have contributed to the decision. The attached director, David Leitz, reportedly retired from the play a week before the Oscars to work on Ryan Gosling’s Fall Guy. Without a director and in the aftermath of Slap, THR shared that Netflix allegedly put the project on hold. THR also reported that Bad Boys 4 is reportedly on hold after the events of Sunday’s ceremony, despite the fact that Smith received 40 pages of the script before Slap. Smith’s Apple TV + drama Emancipation is currently in post-production, which is set to premiere sometime in 2022. However, Apple has not announced an official release date.
