Skip to main content

Will Smith races to freedom in Apple TV+’s Emancipation trailer

For the better part of three decades, Will Smith has been one of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood. But at the moment, everything in his career is overshadowed by the fact that he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year. The incident has hung over Smith’s head for months, but stars have weathered PR disasters before, and Hollywood loves a comeback story. Apple TV+’s new film Emancipation may be the start of that comeback for Smith, if the first trailer for the film is any indication of what’s to come.

Emancipation — Official Teaser | Apple TV+

Emancipation is based upon a true story, and it features Smith as an African man named Peter who endures the cruel nature of slavery. Peter knows that he is meant to be free, and he knows that Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation can deliver him from this evil if he can only escape his shackles. Once Peter can get loose from his chains, the only thing standing between him and freedom is a treacherous swamp. And at Peter’s back are cruel bounty hunters who will do anything to return him to bondage.

Will Smith in Emancipation
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In the trailer, Peter is driven by more than just a desire to be free. He also wants to see his enemies defeated. That’s why he’s looking for the Union Army with a desire to join their ranks. Peter’s journey to the North is fraught with danger, but he will never back down to the men who forced him into slavery.

Ben Foster also stars in the film as Fassel, with Steven Ogg as Sergeant Howard, Charmaine Bingwa as Dodienne, Gilbert Owuor as Gordon, Mustafa Shakir as Andre Cailloux, Grant Harvey as Leeds, Ronnie Gene Blevins as Harrington, Jayson Warner Smith as Captain John Lyons, Jabbar Lewis as Tomas, Michael Luwoye as John, Aaron Moten as Knowls, and Imani Pullum as Betsy.

Antoine Fuqua directed the movie from a script by William N. Collage. Emancipation will have a limited theatrical release on December 2 before coming to Apple TV+ on December 9.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
3 Apple TV+ shows you should watch before September ends
Taron Egerton walks through a prison yard in a scene from Black Bird.

Apple TV+ is quickly becoming one of the better streaming services on the market. While Apple TV+ does not have an expansive library like Netflix or Disney+, its hit rate is very high as the service churns out more hits than flops. Ted Lasso is an Emmy darling, CODA won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Killers of the Flower Moon is destined to be a huge success.

With the strikes halting Hollywood productions, now is the perfect time to catch up on some of Apple TV+'s best TV shows. Below, we selected three shows to watch next, including a sci-fi drama from Ben Stiller, a thriller in the sky with Idris Elba, and a haunting crime series starring Taron Egerton.
Severance (2022)

Read more
David S. Goyer and the Foundation cast on season 2 of the Apple TV+ sci-fi show
Lee Pace stares into the distance while another man looks at him in Foundation.

David S. Goyer told his writers before starting work on season 2 of Foundation that "the training wheels are off." Foundation, the sci-fi drama co-created by Goyer and Josh Friedman that's based on Isaac Asimov's book series, returns to Apple TV+ for its second season on July 14. With so much exposition and worldbuilding in season 1, Goyer, the showrunner on Foundation, and his team were happy to "dive right in and start the story" to begin season 2.

It has been two years since the season 1 finale, but more than a century has passed in the series' timeline. The impending Second Crisis is on the horizon, with the galaxy's fate in the hands of "crucial individuals" that transcend time and space. Foundation stars Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, Lee Pace as Brother Day, Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, Laura Birn as Demerzel, Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk, and Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn.

Read more
8 best sci-fi video games to play if you liked Apple TV+’s hit show Silo
The courier in his nuclear gear and holding his gun in Fallout: New Vegas key art.

Adapted from author Hugh Howey's series of books, showrunner Graham Yost's Silo wrapped up an impressive first season on Apple TV+. The Rebecca Ferguson-led sci-fi thriller brought to screen a captivating world filled with tantalizing mysteries, but there are plenty of video games for fans to get more of their dystopian fix.

These kinds of worlds and stories are ripe for immersion and deeply layered worldbuilding, as many talented developer studios have made their mark on the dystopian sci-fi subgenre. From Bethesda Game Studios' iconic Fallout series to 2K's (now Irrational Games) groundbreaking BioShock, these titles all have elements that fans of Apple TV+'s Silo should enjoy.
Fallout 3 (2008)

Read more