Will Smith’s Netflix sequel cancelled and National Geographic documentary postponed

Cancellations are the latest in fallout from the entertainment industry after the actor slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars

Will Smith hit Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March 2022, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. AFP

Netflix has cancelled Will Smith’s follow-up to his 2017 film Bright.

Bright 2, the sequel to the fantasy action thriller, which was also set to star Joel Edgerton, will no longer be produced by the streaming network, according to Bloomberg. The original film was released on Netflix in the UAE in December 2017.

It’s perhaps the latest sign of the fallout from the entertainment industry in the aftermath of Smith's actions at the Oscars last month.

Will Smith starred as LAPD officer Daryl Ward in the 2017 sci-fi action thriller 'Bright'. Photo: Netflix Inc

The actor slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about the Bad Boys star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith, 53, won Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards on the same night.

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The King Richard actor apologised and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He’s also been banned from attending any of its events for 10 years.

According to Bloomberg, the cancellation of Bright 2 is unrelated to the incident at the Oscars. The National has contacted Netflix for comment.

Variety also reported earlier this month that the streaming platform was slowing development on another film starring Smith called Fast and Loose.

Will Smith, centre, in a scene from the National Geographic nature series 'Welcome to Earth'. Photo: Disney+ via AP

Walt Disney’s National Geographic division is also putting the brakes on another of the star's projects.

Bloomberg reported that the channel was delaying production of Pole to Pole, a nature series that follows The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star as he journeys to the North and South Poles.

It's the third series that the actor has worked on with the studio, and was set to begin shooting in May.

Work will now reportedly be pushed back until autumn, according to Bloomberg, which attributed the information to a person familiar with the company’s plans who asked not to be identified.

Updated: April 23, 2022, 8:01 AM