Will Smith is teaming up with Antoine Fuqua for runaway slave drama Emancipation, inspired by an iconic image of a runaway slave who joined the Union Army. Smith's career has been up and down in recent years, with hits like Bad Boys for Life and Aladdin coming between poorly received vehicles like Gemini Man and Bright. Fuqua has also had his ups and downs, going from the heights of 2001's Training Day to more standard action fare like Olympus Has Fallen, The Magnificent Seven reboot and The Equalizer movies.
Now, according to Deadline, the pair are teaming up for Emancipation. The script was written by Bill Collage, who has writing credits on a number of action thrillers. This new material, therefore, will be a departure for all three names involved, as Emancipation will follow the real life tale of a runaway slave called Peter, who attempts to escape to the North to join the Union Army.
Fuqua states that he first read the script two years ago, and has been working on getting the project up and running since. He says that Collage's script is accurate and used the actual slave Peter's diaries, as well as a number of other historical documents, as a source for the movie.
Fuqua ends by saying the tale spoke to him specifically because it shows a slave taking his destiny into his own hands rather than having to be saved by someone else, and believes Smith is "perfect" for the title role. Emancipation will aim to shoot in 2021, with an estimated release the following year.
Source: Deadline