Netflix Cancels Sequel To Fan-Favourite Will Smith Movie

Netflix is on something of a cancelling spree at the moment.

Earlier this week it emerged that the streaming giant, faced with record subscriber losses, made the decision to cancel a number of high-profile animated projects. It's now being reported that Netflix has also cancelled the sequel to a fan-favourite Will Smith movie.

According to Bloomberg journalist Lucas Shaw, Netflix has abandoned its plans to make Bright 2, the sequel to the the fantasy/cop drama hybrid starring Smith that released on Netflix back in 2017.

While Bright was absolutely torn to pieces by critics at the time, it has a much more forgiving fanbase, and was a big success for Netflix. The movie's Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 27% is a far cry from the 83% audience score.

While you might assume that Netflix chose to axe Bright 2 in response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars just a few weeks ago, Shaw claims that the movie's cancellation is "unrelated" to the Academy Awards incident. Given Netflix's penchant for cancelling things people want to see, we can believe this.

NatGeo has delayed the start of production on its big Will Smith show following the Slap. But it's still happening.

Netflix has also abandoned plans to make a sequel to Brright, but that is unrelated to the incident.@chrispalmeri https://t.co/rj5T5RNc3y

— Lucas Shaw (@Lucas_Shaw) April 21, 2022

While Bright 2 may not have been cancelled as a direct result of the slap, other Will Smith projects are feeling the burn from his divisive actions.

Last month the actor officially resigned from the Academy, meaning he'll no longer be able to vote in future Oscars. The Hollywood Reporter also claims that Netflix has stepped away from Fast And Loose, an upcoming drama that was set to star Smith, while Sony has even put Bad Boys 4 on pause for now.

Apple Plus' slave drama Emancipation is still on track for a 2022 release, although Apple has yet to commit to a specific air date. THR posits that "a few other projects in pre-production" are probably also on hold - most likely so that studios can see how long it takes for the Oscars noise to die down. Assuming it ever does, that is.