Define irony. While the Will Smith-starring film Bright (2017) has become one of Netflix's most streamed movies ever (despite an abysmal RT score of 27%), the announced sequel was delayed consistently due to Smith's busy schedule. Now, despite nearly all of his projects being halted due to the controversy surrounding Smith slapping Chris Rock on live television at the 2022 Academy Awards, Bright 2 has officially been canceled by Netflix, via a report by Bloomberg.
The first film was set in an alternate present in which humans and mythical creatures co-exist and details an LAPD police officer (Smith) and his orc partner (Joel Edgerton) confronting racism and police corruption while protecting a magic wand and the elf girl (Lucy Fry) who wields it. The film was directed by David Ayer and written by Max Landis. An anime spin-off, set in 1868 Japan and titled Bright: Samurai Soul, was released in October 2021. Originally, Louis Leterrier was supposed to take over from Ayer for the direct sequel but now that is not the case.
This industry-wide move has led to a divisiveness in how to handle Smith's extensive projects. Walt Disney Co.’s National Geographic division is taking more of a wait-and-see approach than others with their Pole To Pole nature series that sees Smith visiting the North and South Poles. The production was set to begin in three weeks and has now been tentatively planned to begin in the fall. Time will tell, but right now Smith is suffering a flatlining career.