Will Sony, Netflix Sever Million-Dollar Deals With Will Smith After Controversial Oscars Slap?

As Will Smith continues to face repercussions for slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars, two of his projects in different studios and streaming services have been put on hold on Saturday, April 2, as they reassess their working relationship with the film superstar.

Netflix has reportedly put on hold the film "Fast and Loose," whose director David Leitch left the project prior to the Oscars incident to work on the Ryan Gosling movie "Fall Guy." The film, which is about a crime lord with a memory problem, might be done in the future with a new actor as well as a new director, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Beyond the Netflix film, Sony Pictures has also put on hold the production of "Bad Boys 4," the sequel to the long-running franchise Smith has with comedian Martin Lawrence. The project has been under active development, with Smith receiving 40 pages of the script before the Oscars, Page Six reported.

Smith also has a different project, the slave drama "Emancipation," on Apple, which is reportedly in post-production and is seeking a 2022 release date before the Oscar incident occurred. Apple has not released a statement regarding the state of the project.

Will Smith has yet to make a statement in regards to these projects being put on hold. He resigned from the Academy on Friday, close to a week after he slapped Chris Rock on national TV when the comedian made a joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith’s loss of hair.

“Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason,” he said in a statement about his resignation from the Academy.

The Academy is currently investigating the incident to figure out what actions the organization can take in response to Smith’s actions against Chris Rock during the Oscars telecast.