ALISON BOSHOFF: Bad boy Will Smith bounces back into favor after Oscars hit as he lands the National Geographic show
How long does a fall last? A little less than a year, judging by Will Smith’s quiet revival.
This week, Sony announced that Bad Boys 4 – the latest installment in the popular films Smith is collaborating with Martin Lawrence – is entering production after being put on hold following the infamous slap in the face at the Oscars in March last year.
The third iteration, Bad Boys For Life, grossed a whopping $426 million worldwide.
And now it can be revealed that Smith’s National Geographic and Disney series Pole To Pole, in which he will travel from the South Pole to the North Pole, is back in production.
That, too, faltered last March after the actor punched comedian Chris Rock during the Academy Awards broadcast.
Something to watch: Bad boy Will Smith is back in favor after his infamous Oscar slap as he’s landed a new National Geographic show (pictured at the 2022 Oscars)
However, Smith quietly began filming in December in Antarctica and the show is expected to air on Disney+ later this year.
He is expected to be on the road for nearly four months to create the program, covering 26,000 miles in the process. He will film in various extreme environments including desert, jungle, mountains and swamp.
Smith previously fronted One Strange Rock and Welcome To Earth for the streamer.
Another project, a Netflix feature film called Fast And Loose, has yet to be pulled out of the long grass. Smith’s drama Emancipation, which grossed $120 million, cost just $300,000 in its theatrical week before moving to Apple TV+.
The star was banned from Academy events for a decade after hitting Rock for telling a joke about Smith’s wife Jada.
Smith later said, “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
The scandal completely overshadowed his Oscar win for his performance as Richard Williams in the film King Richard, about the rise of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams.
It comes after Smith shared an Instagram video with Lawrence announcing the bad boy movie news.
The Instagram video Smith shared shows him walking to Lawrence’s house with his camera and capturing the moment.
Smith said: “Yo, I have an announcement. You better stop scrolling.”
The tune, Shake Ya Tailfeather, taken from the Bad Boys II soundtrack, began to play.
The star arrives at his co-stars’ door, where they announce the news about the fourth part of the project.
‘It’s time!’ Lawrence said, and Smith added, “Bad boys for life baby. For life.’
The latest: It comes after Smith shared an Instagram video with co-star Martin Lawrence announcing the news of the new Bad Boy movie