Will Smith’s upcoming blockbusters could be put on ice following his attack on Chris Rock at last weekend’s Oscars ceremony.
Work on the fourth instalment of the Bad Boys film franchise has been halted by Sony following the fracas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film would have seen Smith reunited with co-star Martin Lawrence as a maverick Miami drugs agent.
And Netflix has reportedly slowed down production on its planned action thriller movie Fast and Loose, which stars the 53-year-old Smith.
Industry sources say studios want to assess how tarnished Smith’s reputation has become after he stormed on stage to slap Rock for making a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, before sinking millions of dollars into further projects.
The Men in Black and Ali actor is also due to appear in Apple TV’s £90 million slavery drama Emancipation this autumn, but there has so far been no suggestion that will be delayed.
Smith – who took exception to Rock’s joke about his wife’s shaved head, a result of alopecia – has announced his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying he had ‘betrayed’ its trust.
Now the star – who won this year’s Best Actor award for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena, in King Richard – is unlikely to be invited to announce the Best Actress award next year . . . a task performed in recent years by the outgoing Best Actor.
One Academy member said: ‘Some of the members are saying Will jumped before he was pushed. The executives are still in utter disbelief at what happened.’
The Academy said it would ‘continue to move forward’ with disciplinary proceedings.
