James R | On 19, Nov 2022

“The Lord is with us. What can a mere man do to me?” That’s Will Smith in Apple TV+ drama Emancipation, and a new trailer gives us a proper look at the film.

Inspired by a true story, it follows one man who fights through unthinkable terrors in an attempt to reunite with his family. Directed by Antoine Fuqua from a script by William N Collage, the film is produced by Will Smith and Jon Mone through Westbrook Studios, and co-stars Ben Foster (“Hell or High Water,” “Leave No Trace”), Charmaine Bingwa (“The Good Fight,” “Black Box,” “Trees of Peace”), Gilbert Owuor (“Montana Story,” “Mute,” “Reprisal,” “Calls”) and Mustafa Shakir (“Soul Assassin,” “Cowboy Bebop,” “Marvel’s Luke Cage” and “The Deuce”).

The film premieres on 2nd December in select cinemas and streams worldwide on Apple TV+ on 9th December. Here’s the trailer:

 

Trailer: Will Smith stars in Apple’s Emancipation

5th October 2022

Will Smith is heading to Apple TV+ this December for new film Emancipation.

Directed and executive produced by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “The Equalizer”) and starring and produced by Smith, it’s the kind of project that would have been a hot ticket for awards success a year ago, until the incident at the Oscars earlier this year. How that may impact the film’s reception is anyone’s guess, but Apple is pushing ahead with an awards season release regardless, although the movie has notably not had a high-profile festival premiere this autumn.

Emancipation tells the triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom. Written by William N Collage, the film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter”, taken during a Union Army medical examination, which first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as “The Scourged Back”, which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.

Ben Foster (“Hell or High Water,” “Leave No Trace”), Charmaine Bingwa (“The Good Fight,” “Black Box,” “Trees of Peace”), Gilbert Owuor (“Montana Story,” “Mute,” “Reprisal,” “Calls”) and Mustafa Shakir (“Soul Assassin,” “Cowboy Bebop,” “Marvel’s Luke Cage” and “The Deuce”) star alongside Smith. The ensemble cast also includes Steven Ogg (“Snowpiercer,” “Westworld,” “The Tick,” “The Walking Dead”), Grant Harvey (“Animal Kingdom,” “The Crossing,” “All For Nikki”), Ronnie Gene Blevins (“Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It,” “Death In Texas,” “Joe”), Jayson Warner Smith (“The Walking Dead,” “Rectify,” “The Birth of a Nation”), Jabbar Lewis (“Terminal List,” “Adventure Force 5”), Michael Luwoye (“The Gifted,” “Prodigal Son,” “She’s Gotta Have It”), Aaron Moten (“Next,” “Disjointed,” “Stu”) and newcomer Imani Pullum.

The announcement was made following an advance screening of “Emancipation” hosted together with the NAACP during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., where Fuqua, Smith and Mary Elliott, curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, participated in a conversation about the film moderated by politics and culture commentator Angela Rye.

The film will premiere on Apple TV+ on 9th December. Here’s the trailer:

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