Will Smith To Star in Antoine Fuqua’s Upcoming Runaway Slave Drama ‘Emancipation’

Will Smith and director Antoine Fuqua are all set to unite to create ‘Emancipation’, a runaway action thriller scripted by William Collage, where a runaway slave from the South, Peter, embarks on a deadly journey to the North and joins the Union Army in the American Civil War.

Plot

The story based on actual events, most of it derived from Peter’s personal diary, historical facts, and photos. The action thriller biopic will take up an entirely new vantage point upon slaves and racism and will be different from other movies that belong to the anti-racist subgenre, like the Academy Award winner ’12 Years A Slave’. Besides showing the devastating horrors of slavery, ‘Emancipation’ will also focus on Peter’s barefoot journey in Louisiana swamps after escaping his captors and hunters. After his battle against nature and making it to the North, he joins the Union Army to emancipate his family.

Fuqua immediately connected with the script of Emancipation when he read it for the first time and knew Will Smith will be the perfect person to play Peter’s role in the film. He also feels that amidst the ongoing BLM protests it is the perfect time to layout the action-plan for Emancipation. He also claims that this going to be his best film ever, putting behind all his previous major hits like Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen, and the two Equalizer films.

“It’s almost two years now from when I first read the script,” Fuqua told Deadline. “It hit my heart and my soul in so many ways that are impossible to convey but I think you understand. We’re watching some of the feelings that I had, in the streets right now. There’s sadness, there’s anger, there’s love, faith, and hope as well because of what I see young people doing today. They’re doing all the heavy lifting now. Black, white, brown, yellow, you name it. They’re out in the street, they’re young, and they’re standing up for their future. That’s important to see, and the most hopeful thing that I’m seeing, that they’re not going to stand for it anymore.”

Production Status and Expected Release Date

The filming for Emancipation is expected to begin in early 2021. Fuqua was on the verge of completing the drama ‘Infinite’ whereas Will Smith shooting ‘King Richard’ when their projects were halted due to pandemic crisis. They will soon resume their work on these ongoing projects and Fuqua will start off pre-production the moment he is done with his pending job. The film’s release can be anticipated to be somewhere during late 2021 or early 2022.