Netflix, Apple TV+ drops plans for Will Smith’s biopic after Oscars slap

Hollywood star Will Smith’s shocking action of slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony has welcomed serious consequences.

Just after the King Richard actor filed his resignation from the Academy on Friday, reports are making rounds that streaming giants Netflix and Apple+ have both removed their bids for Smith’s biopic.

The latest reports revealed that Netflix, as well as Sony, had already shelved creative projects amid the fallout from Smith hitting Rock on stage.

Now, “Netflix and Apple+ have quietly removed their bids for a Will Smith biopic and will instead relocate the funds and develop original ideas from new black actors,” a source told the Sun.

“Working with Will has become a risky business,” the insider told the outlet. “They now plan on developing ideas with more family-friendly stars like Mike Epps and Michael B. Jordan.”

Neither streaming channel appeared to have commented on the report. It was previously reported that the companies were fighting to secure rights to the film about Smith’s life, based on his best-selling autobiography, which came out last year.