After the slapping incident, Emperor Shi may return to Hollywood and will shoot two works of Sony Netflix

A year after the slapping incident that shocked the industry, Will Smith is preparing to return to acting, according to foreign media.

While the actor has largely kept a low profile in the twelve months since the slapping incident, he is now gearing up for his first acting engagement since the incident. According to people familiar with the matter, he intends to participate in Sony's "Bad Boys 4" and Netflix's "Need to Die" to rebuild his commercial reputation.

This strategy will mark a departure from his past two films, "King Richard" and "Emancipation." "King Richard" only earned $39 million in theaters worldwide, but Will Smith earned a total of $40 million from it (thanks to Warner's strategy of moving to the front line throughout the year, which earned him a big pen compensation).

After the slap, Smith remains one of the biggest stars in the industry, but studio executives are hesitant to reunite with him. "Everybody's waiting to see who's going to do it first," said a major studio executive, who was reluctant to work with Will Smith. "It's more about what he does than what he does next." .”

Before the slapping incident, Netflix was preparing to start filming "Need to Drive". But afterwards, the streaming giant shelved the work. According to people familiar with the matter, Netflix will not move forward with the "Need for Speed" project until Sony decides to start filming "Bad Boys 4."

"There is absolutely no desire to be the first studio to resume business with Will," said an insider with knowledge of the deal. Will Smith remains one of the highest paid movie stars. Sources say Smith was paid $25 million for both films.