‘Emancipation’: Upcoming Will Smith Starrer Sets December 2nd as Release Date!!

Oscar contender Emancipation starring Will Smith is drumming up a great deal of praise across social media following its first private screening. Apple Original Films, who won the rights to the film, partnered with the NAACP to host the screening that earned the production praise for its powerful message on resilience. Apple has just released the official premiere date, set for a wide theatrical release on December 2.

Written by Bill Collage and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Emancipation tells the harrowing and triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes slavery and goes through hell and back in the pursuit of freedom. He looks within to his faith and the unyielding love for his family in a deadly journey to reunite with them through the swamps of Louisiana. The film is inspired by horrendous photos, taken during a Union Army medical examination, of “Whipped Peter.” The images first appeared in Harper’s Weekly in 1863 and spurred a wider opposition to slavery. During the conference after the private screening, Smith spoke on his portrayal of Peter, saying, “…this is not a film about slavery. This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. You know, this is a film about faith. It’s a film about the heart of a man.”

After the overwhelmingly positive reception from the private showing at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st annual Legislative Conference in DC, and in the hopes that Emancipation would prove to be a contender for the Academy Awards, the theatrical release date of December 2 puts Smith’s return to the screen in the running. Fuqua’s historical drama will mark Smith’s first role since his 10-year ban from the Oscars. After the premiere screening, audiences felt hopeful that the profound message will change the Academy’s decree.

Emancipation also stars Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Jayson Warner Smith, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten and Imani Pullum.

Smith and Jon Mone will produce under Westbrook Studios, as well as Escape Artists‘ Todd Black and McFarland Entertainment’s Joey McFarland. Fuqua serves as both director and executive producer along with Chris Brigham, James Lassiter, Heather Washington, Cliff Roberts, Glen Basner and Scott Greenberg.