Will Smith is back and on the run in the trailer for Apple TV Plus’ Emancipation
Antoine Fuqua's film stars Will Smith as an escaped slave who ends up in a famous photograph
Antoine Fuqua recently held a screening for his upcoming Apple TV+ film Emancipation, which stars Will Smith as the real-life slave who famously posed for a photo published in Harper’s Weekly that showcased his horrifically scarred back (a crucial piece of compelling evidence for campaigns against slavery at the time), and everyone seems to have nothing but positive things to say about it. Entertainment Weekly quotes Derrick Johnson, head of the NAACP, as saying that he “can’t begin to tell how powerful this is for OUR community and OUR history.” Smith also noted that he has turned down movies about slavery in the past, but that “this is not a film about slavery.” Instead, he says, “This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith.”