Will Smith To Lead ‘Emancipation,’ A Thriller About Slavery Directed By Antoine Fuqua
The upcoming thriller “Emancipation” has cast Will Smith in the lead role. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the movie will be about a runaway slave from a plantation in Louisiana who narrowly escaped his death at the hands of the plantation owners John and Bridget Lyons.
Based on a true story from the 1860s, Smith will play Peter in “Emancipation.” His image went viral on the internet recently for the photos of the scars on his back.
Bill Collage did the screen adaptation to “Emancipation” with Smith also signing on as one of the producers, along with James Lassiter, Jon Mone and Joey McFarland. Fuqua apparently read the script in 2018 and was working with Smith quietly on how to treat the slavery move.
Apparently, Peter masked his escaped by using onions to protect himself against the hunters and their bloodhounds. He was able to make it all the way to the north of Louisiana, where he joined the Union Army.
“It was the first viral image of the brutality of slavery that the world saw,” Fuqua said via Deadline. “Which is interesting, when you put it into perspective with today and social media and what the world is seeing, again. You can’t fix the past, but you can remind people of the past and I think we have to, in an accurate, real way. We all have to look for a brighter future for us all, for everyone. That’s one of the most important reasons to do things right now, is show our history. We have to face our truth before we can move forward.”
Fuqua further said, “We’re watching some of the feeling that I had, in the streets right now. There’s sadness, there’s anger, there’s love, faith and hope as well because of what I see young people doing today.”
“The writer, Bill Collage, really went deep into it,” the director said. “Historical documents and also information from Peter’s own diaries that he kept. It’s based on historical fact. When I read the script, I thought, what an amazing journey, a heartbreaking and heart-racing film to have an opportunity to make.”
