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Credit: @DiscussingFilm TwitterActor Will Smith has been on a strange whirlwind over the course of the last year.
Will Smith resigned from The Academy and received a 10-year ban from the Oscars from The Academy following the slapping incident that unfolded at last year’s show. After Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith during the show, Smith got up from his seat and delivered a slap across the comedian’s face that went viral immediately.
The father of Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, and Trey Smith has since undergone counseling and apologized for his actions.
Now, as we approach the one-year anniversary of the Chris Rock slap, Will Smith is starting to see his work in Hollywood return.
The actor’s newest movie, Emancipation (2022), was recently released on Apple+ and Smith was subsequently nominated as a finalist for the NAACP Image Award.
While things are looking up for Smith, he did have to abruptly pull out of a project that was meant to be a “surprise appearance.” Of course, we’re talking about the 65th Grammy Awards.
The reason, however, is more good news for the actor.
“I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting ‘Bad Boys 4’ this week,” Questlove told Variety‘s Marc Malkin on the red carpet. “There were a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will.”
The Fresh Prince star is now in the midst of filming Bad Boys 4 alongside Martin Lawrence. The new movie doesn’t have a release date yet, but some reports indicate that the film could be in theaters as soon as early 2024.
In addition to Smith’s return to the Bad Boys franchise, he is also set to return to Disney to reprise his role as Genie in Aladdin 2. There are rumors that Smith might not be the only Genie in the Disney sequel, but nothing has been confirmed. Aladdin (2019) served as the Disney debut for the actor.
Will Smith is known for starring in countless blockbusters, including the Men In Black franchise, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), I Am Legend (2007), King Richard (2021), Suicide Squad (2016), Focus (2015), and many more.
What do you think of Will Smith officially making his way back to Hollywood? Let us know in the comments below!