Apple Original Films' 'Emancipation' picks up newcomer Imani Pullum

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Apple TV+ logo (Image credit: Apple TV+)

What you need to know

  • Apple Original Films has added newcomer Imani Pullum to the upcoming movie Emancipation.
  • Pullum joins Will Smith and a host of big names.

Apple Original Films has reportedly signed newcomer Imani Pullum to join the upcoming Apple TV+ movie Emancipation. The movie already has Will Smith, Ben Foster, and more stars signed on.

According to a new Deadline report, the movie is already in production in New Orleans.

The Antoine Fuqua pic currently in production in New Orleans tells the 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. The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of "Whipped Peter," taken during a Union Army medical examination, that 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.

Pullum will play Betsy, Peter's eldest daughter in what will be her first major studio movie role.

There is currently no date set for when Emancipation will be available for us all to watch, but it's likely to get both a theatrical and Apple TV+ debut at some point. The movie will add more content to the Apple TV+ streaming service as Apple seeks to make it a bigger player in the global streaming wars. While popular in its own right, the service is dwarfed by the likes of Disney Plus and Netflix.

If you want to enjoy Emancipation in style, be sure to check out our list of the best Apple TV deals on the market today.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.