Powerful Trailer for Will Smith's EMANCIPATION About a Man Who Escapes Slavery to Return to His Family

A new trailer has been released for Will Smith’s upcoming film Emancipation, which tells the true story of a man who escapes from slavery and embarks on a perilous journey to return to his family.

The film comes from director Antoine Fuqua, and it looks like he made an incredible film that tells such a powerful story. But, seeing Will Smith is a little distracting because it’s hard not to think about his actions at the Oscars. It looks like Smith gives one of the best performances of his career in this movie, and because of his actions, he’s been suspended from the Academy.

Smith takes on the role of Peter, “a runaway slave, who escaped to the Union Army during the Civil War and outwitted bounty hunters over 10 days through the Louisiana swamps, masking his scent with onions. Army photos taken of Peter showing the scars on his back from being whipped were published in 1863 and became known as the ‘scourged back’ photos, which became a means to illustrate the cruelty of slavery.”

Ben Foster stars opposite Smith, playing Fassel, “a man who doggedly pursues any enslaved person who attempts to flee to freedom, including Peter.” The movie also stars Charmaine Bingwa as Peter’s beloved wife Dodienne. Gilbert Owuor plays Gordon, an enslaved man working at the same camp as Peter, while Mustafa Shakir plays Cailloux, a free Black man who also serves in the Union Army.

Emancipation is set to premiere in theaters on December 2nd, and it will start streaming on Apple TV+ December 9th.