Will Smith's Emancipation could still see a 2022 premiere

Emancipation, a new drama film starring Will Smith, was delayed after the actor's actions at the 2022 Academy Awards. Despite the delay, a new report says that the film could still be released this year.

According to a new report from Deadline, Emancipation could still release on Apple TV+ later this year or early 2023. Sources told the outlet that the film is already complete and has been tested with select audiences with "very high scores."

If the film does make its debut this or next year, it's unclear what Smith might do when it comes to awards season. The actor has been banned by the Academy for a decade, so it's unclear what Smith would do as both actor and producer for the picture.

What is Emancipation about?

Emancipation stars Smith as Peter, a slave who escapes to the north and joins the Union Army:

In the Antoine Fuqua-directed William N. Collage-scripted drama, Smith plays Peter. He is an enslaved man and the film is an Apocalypto-style thriller about his harrowing escapes to freedom through the swamps of Louisiana. When Peter reaches the North, he joined the Union Army. During his physical, doctors were shocked when he removed his shirt and bore the scars from a near fatal beating on his back. They took photographs and those ran in newspapers across the world. They provided a gruesome testament to the barbarity and cruelty of slavery in the antebellum South.

The movie is directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Magnificent Seven, Shooter). According to the report, audiences have said that Emancipation is "the best film director Antoine Fuqua has made since Training Day."

It's still unknown when Killers of the Flower Moon will premiere on Apple TV+. If you want to ensure you enjoy it in the best quality when it does, check out our list of the Best TVs for Apple TV 2021 and our review of the Apple TV 4K.