According to sources close to the project, the production of the film went awry even before the violent incident that Smith caused at the Oscar ceremony last week. This is because David Leach, who Netflix hoped would direct the film, chose to give up the project in favor of the film Fall Guy starring the Canadian Ryan Gosling, produced by Universal Studios. A few days before the Oscars, Netflix launched a quick “emergency” process to find an alternate director for the film – but after getting involved with Will Smith in the most prestigious awards ceremony in the entertainment world, she froze work on the project, and it is unclear whether she is looking for a replacement or giving up the idea altogether.
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At the same time, the website reports, Sony has suspended work on a fourth film in the “Bad Boys” series, starring Smith and Martin Lawrence as two cops who decipher crimes in slightly less common ways. Before the Oscar ceremony, about 40 script pages from the future film had already been handed to Smith, but after the ceremony, work on it was stopped, and it is not clear whether it will be renewed or canceled altogether.