How Will Smith Is Reportedly Attempting A Career Comeback

In a seriously eerie turn of events, Will Smith may have foreseen his demise. Following his headline-making Oscars slap, the actor appeared on an episode of David Letterman's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" (which was filmed prior to the incident) and seemingly predicted his career crumbling. The Oscar-winner recalled using the psychedelic plant ayahuasca and having a dark premonition. "I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away, and my career is gone," he shared. 

Not long after, he fell from grace and was hit with a 10-year ban by the Academy. Now, the road to redemption is proving difficult. As one top film exec told Variety, he's likely "alienated some of his audience." Pair that with the fact that, as media analyst Jeff Bock pointed out, "his [box office] decline was already happening" and the Oscar-winner's future in Hollywood is a question mark.

If Smith was hoping to simply get back to work, he had another thing coming, as a number of his projects were canceled. What's more, a public reconciliation with Chris Rock also isn't in the cards. On a June episode of "Red Table Talk", Jada Pinkett Smith said she'd like to see the pair reconcile. However, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that Smith better not hold his breath. That's because "[Rock] is not concerned with the Smiths at the moment." It seems Smith is on his own, but he hasn't given up on his career just yet.

If Will Smith wants to work in Hollywood again, he may need to pave his own way. The actor's Oscars outburst has already lost him a number of projects, including "Bright 2," which was canceled by Netflix, per Esquire. The streaming giant also hit pause on filming "Fast and Loose" with the Oscar-winner, per Variety. What's more, back in May, Deadline confirmed that Roku had not renewed "This Joka," a comedy series executive produced and hosted by Smith, for a second season. Interestingly, that cancellation wasn't directly tied to the slap seen around the world. Initial reports also claimed that Smith had lost his chance to star in "Bad Boys 4," although there's a chance that project may move forward. As Sony chairman Tom Rothman told Deadline in May, the movie is still in development, although it's in its early stages.

However, rather than waiting for a major studio to power his comeback, The Sun reported that Smith is being proactive about his return. According to the outlet, he has plans to star in "I Am Legend 2," which his own company, Westbrook Studios, would produce. As a source explained, Warner Brothers still needs to give final approval. However, they shared that "the script is being written mentioning his character and as of yet, Will remains attached to the project." The source also argued that negative feelings towards Smith have already diminished because "the world has moved on thanks to stories like the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial."