Less than a year after Will Smith shocked millions around the world by slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, his new film "Emancipation" will be released this December, Apple said Monday.
The slavery drama was broadly assumed to have been delayed in the wake of Smith's assault on comedian Rock, which drew widespread condemnation and resulted in Smith being banned from attending the Academy Awards ceremony for 10 years.
But Apple made the surprise announcement that the tainted star's latest movie will hit theaters December 2, and begin streaming on Apple TV+ a week later.
The timing means Apple will be able to submit "Emancipation" to compete at the Oscars next March, just a year after it made history as the first streamer to win the Oscar for best picture with "CODA."
Smith has kept a relatively low profile since that night at the Academy Awards, when he won best actor for his performance in "King Richard" just minutes after he had marched on stage and hit Rock for making a joke about his wife.
The former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star made a public apology shortly after the incident, and released an emotional social media video about the moment in July, offering to meet with Rock "whenever you're ready to talk."
