Will Smith’s biopic is said to be in shambles after Netflix and Apple+ dropped out of a bidding war following the Oscars slap incident.
According to insiders, the two streaming behemoths pulled their competitive bids on the project based on the Hollywood star’s best-selling autobiography Will.
It comes after Will, 53, stormed the stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock when the comedian joked about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hairstyle.
‘Netflix and Apple+ have quietly pulled their bids for a Will Smith biopic, instead relocating funding and developing unique concepts from new black performers,’ a source told The Sun.
Working with the actor has now become ‘risky business,’ according to the insider, as his forthcoming film projects have been put on hold as a result of the incident.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, work on the fourth edition of the Bad Boys film franchise has been delayed by Sony as a result of the Oscars incident.
As a maverick Miami drugs agent, Smith would have reunited with co-star Martin Lawrence in the film.
In addition, work on Netflix’s planned action thriller film Fast and Loose, starring Will, has apparently been slowed.
Prior to Smith hitting Chris, the film had already lost its intended director, impeding the project’s path to completion.
Deadpool 2 director David Leitch was supposed to direct Fast And Loose, but he dropped out barely a week before the Academy Awards.
According to THR, both Netflix and Universal were vying for Leitch’s next movie, but the traditional studio won out over the streaming service.
Following the setback, Netflix began looking for a new director to take up Smith’s project as soon as possible.