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The film would have been a surefire Oscar contender for Smith, but for the incident at the Academy Awards, which resulted in Smith receiving a 10-year ban from the event. Smith has since apologized to Rock, the Academy and his family and fans.

Rock has not yet commented on the incident at length but has said he will discuss the controversy at some point in the future.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Fuqua insisted Apple never gave up on the movie, despite a report in May that it had been delayed to 2023 in the wake of the Oscars controversy.

\"They never stopped talking about releasing the film, and when would be best strategically,\" he said. \"Apple would call me often, with Will, and I have to say Apple has been amazing through this whole film.\"

\"Emancipation\" also stars Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor and Mustafa Shakir.

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