'Bad Boys 4' Film Will Still Happen, Will Smith's Oscar Slap Did Not Affect Movie Production

Will Smith's career was only skyrocketing before the unfortunate Oscar slapgate incident. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has banned him from attending any of the events they hold, including the Oscars, for the next 10 years. 

Smith has also been facing many other consequences of his actions including stalled projects or being dropped from several of them. To take a step back from the 53-year-old actor's projects were Netflix, Sony, and Apple+ wherein Sony had halted work on the much-anticipated Bad Boys 4. Though the recent 2020 sequel of the cop movie was a hit, the franchise's future was up in the air.

Tom Rothman, Sony's Chairman, has provided clarifications about the future of the film. When asked about the Bad Boys 4 film going on hiatus, he told Deadline, "No. That was inaccurate. That movie’s been in development and still is. There weren’t any brakes to pump because the car wasn’t moving." He added, referring to the Oscar slap, "That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don’t think it’s really my place to comment, except to say that I’ve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret are genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption."

During the 94th Academy Awards, Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock who was on stage presenting an award, when he made an insensitive joke in reference to Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head. Jada had earlier publicly revealed that she suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes sudden hair loss. The joke provoked Smith to slap Rock and tell him to, "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth." Following this, he won his first Oscar for Best Male Lead for his role in King Richard. In his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and the people present at the ceremony for his actions. Later, he also released a statement on Instagram, addressing Rock, and apologizing to him.

Rothman added that they have been bringing back some of the most iconic films from their library including Jumanji, Bad Boys, Uncharted, and Ghostbusters, as well as Spider-Man and its spin-offs. "Because of Jason Reitman and his relationship with Ivan, may he rest in peace, we were able to resuscitate that into a tremendous success, both theatrically and in-home entertainment," he stated. 

Bad Boys, the original buddy cop action comedy film that was first released in 1995, starred Smith and Martin Lawrence as two detectives in the Miami Police Department, Mike Lowrey, and Marcus Burnett. It currently has three sequels.