Will Smith has achieved modest fame in the Hollywood industry, but recently he’s more known for slapping Chris Rock. It has become one of the most famous moments in Academy Awards history, and the world couldn’t stop talking about what happened between him and comedian Chris Rock on the renowned stage of the Oscars 2022 since then.
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
Smith hit Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the 94th Academy Awards. A lot has happened since the slap: Will Smith apologized (twice) and, after publicly issuing an apology on social media, even took a four-month break for almost four months. For his behavior, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Smith from attending all Academy-related events for a decade.

The incident didn’t only damage his reputation, but his status in various future Hollywood projects also looked iffy. This includes affecting a planned standalone film for Deadshot that was previously put on hold.

The 94th Academy Awards “Slap” Moment Badly Affected Will Smith’s Career

Will Smith in Bad Boys with Martin Lawrence
The possible cancellation of Bad Boys 4 and Netflix’s Fast and Loose, starring Will Smith, was almost a heated debate last year.

Fast and Loose, a high-budget action thriller, features Smith as the head of a criminal group who loses his memory after an attack. While the film was initially halted due to the Oscars incident, it has now resumed its production.

The second project, Bad Boys 4, was also facing uncertainty last year. Esquire reported that Smith received the first 40 pages of the film’s script, but production was temporarily slowed. However, Bad Boys 4 is scheduled to hit the theatres on June 14, 2024.

In addition, according to a report from Rolling Stone, DC had been developing a standalone film for Deadshot starring Smith. But the film had been “put on the back burner.”

Deadshot Starring Will Smith on Hold for Different Reasons

Will Smith as Deadshot
While Hollywood pressed a pause on Will Smith movies for the time being last year, the report mentions that the reason for Deadshot’s pause in development stemmed because of Smith’s high pricing that he was asking to make the film.

Rolling Stone reported that Smith’s demands for compensation exceeded the film’s budget, but the specific amount he requested was not specified. Anyways, Smith is willing to come back to the DC Universe again as Deadshot.

Smith played Deadshot in 2016’s Suicide Squad alongside Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. While critics largely panned the movie, Smith was praised for portraying Deadshot. In 2018, Smith seemed excited to play the role again when Warner Bros was reported to be considering a Deadshot spinoff movie in 2016. The actor said:
“I hope so. I love playing Deadshot. I’m really enjoying that character.”
Although there are no concrete production plans for the Deadshot movie as of yet.

Suicide Squad is available on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix.