Will Smith Set To Reestablish His Commercial Bona Fides With ‘Bad Boys 4’ & ‘Fast And Loose’

According to reports, Will Smith will reclaim his movie star status by simultaneously filming Sony’s “Bad Boys 4” and Netflix’s “Fast and Loose.”

While the “Men in Black” actor has kept a relatively low profile in the 12 months since he slapped presenter Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars, he is currently preparing for his first acting role since the incident that sparked worldwide headlines and an ongoing news cycle.

This tactic is a divergence from his last two films, “King Richard” for Warner Bros. and “Emancipation” for Apple, which were considered awards-season fare rather than studio tentpoles. Although “King Richard” did decent business at the box office ($39 million globally), it earned less than anticipated.

Yet, “King Richard” brought Smith the Oscar for best actor, in contrast to “Emancipation,” which failed to receive any Oscar nominations, including one for best actor, despite Smith’s $35 million paycheck.

After the event involving one of the key stars, “Bad Boys 4” was confirmed, but there has been little news since then. Sony is now officially progressing forward. Despite being one of the top stars in the industry, studio executives were afraid to work with Smith after “the slap.” Yet he continues to be one of the highest-paid actors, receiving a $25 million quote for both “Bad Boys 4” and “Fast and Loose.”

“Everyone was waiting to see who would blink first,” says one high-ranking executive at a major studio who is reluctant to work with Smith just yet spoke to Variety. “It isn’t so much what he did, it was what he did after.”

Netflix was reportedly unwilling to be the first studio to re-enter business with Will. Nonetheless, they are currently collaborating on “Fast and Loose” after Sony gave “Bad Boys 4” the green light. Despite the fact that some executives are still hesitant to engage with Smith, he hopes to regain his commercial credibility with these next ventures.

Source – Tru News Report