'Emancipation' doesn't need a Will Smith comeback to get a Best Picture nomination

Although Will Smith is banned from going to the 2023 Oscars, his new Apple Original film "Emancipation" hopes to be present.

Last weekend, the streaming service made it official that the triumphant story directed by Antoine Fuqua, about a slave crossing Civil War-era Louisiana on the road to freedom, will arrive in theaters December 2 - just in time for award eligibility. "Emancipation" was screened last weekend for a group of attendees at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 51st Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., along with Fuqua, Smith and Smithsonian National American Slavery Curator Mary Elliott. Museum of African American History and Culture, participate in a conversation about the film hosted by political and cultural commentator Angela Rye.

Fuqua also gave an interview to Deadline where he addressed discussions surrounding the film after Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock onstage at this year's Oscars for making an insensitive joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. "As a filmmaker, you want your work to get out there, especially something so important," Fuqua said. "It was Apple, behind the scenes, they were pushing that too, trying to navigate the waters. They never stopped talking about the movie coming out and the best strategic time."

Despite the controversy that still follows Smith, Apple is smart to follow up on releasing 'Emancipation' in 2022. Take out that low moment, and on paper, we have the studio that just won Best Picture for “CODA” brings us a new movie starring the most recent Best Actor winner, who also happens to be one of the biggest stars in the world. Pushed back a year, these highlights would not have the same impact.

Post-slap talk has had diminishing returns. Smith has been accused of appearing dismissive. Rock started mentioning it in his stand-up sets, but that led to more goofs on his part. The Academy's new regime prefers to avoid any mention of it, which has shifted discussions around the 2023 Oscars from something reactionary to something revelatory - a reinvigorated awards show with producers more experienced with the events. live (and, who would probably have a better idea of ​​what to do if a Slap-like situation were to happen again).

What sealed the deal for this year to be the right one for "Emancipation" was the unique Best Picture race that's going on right now. Although dozens of award contenders premiered at the fall festivals, few made it into the Best Picture contenders. While "The Fabelmans" is the clear favorite, there are at least four other viable contenders yet to be selected ("She Said", "Babylon", "Avatar: The Way of the Water" and "Black Panther: Wakanada Forever"). Making an educated guess about the 10 Best Picture nominees for the 2023 Oscars is harder than ever.

And "Emancipation" has a lot to offer. Historical epics like “The Woman King” have done very well this year. Its association with the Congressional Black Caucus indicates that its marketing campaign could find an interesting way to tie the film to the midterm elections. This adds to this year's candidate pool being more racially diverse. Apple also doesn't have any other movies on its list that would make it to the Best Picture tier. 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever', the sequel to Peter Farrelly's 'Green Book', made a small splash when it arrived on Apple TV+ this weekend.

Smith is unlikely to land back-to-back Best Actor nominations. There are already plenty of rumors that he's great in the movie, but there's also still a faction of Academy voters who think he should have been banned from the Oscars indefinitely. It is simply too early for this comeback. But looking at the...