Will Smith's public profile may have been considerably lower since the infamous Oscars slap earlier in the year, but he's been steadily working since then.
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The actor made his social media return only recently and gradually, and finally revealed that he was making his comeback on the screen as well.
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After circulating reports, he shared that he would return with the Apple TV movie Emancipation, posting the accompanying trailer for the project.
"This was the hardest movie I've ever made," he wrote. "Blood, Sweat & Tears… LITERALLY! Shoutout to Apple who doubled (and tripled) down on their commitment to deliver this epic story to the world."
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The historical action film will be released on 12 December in theaters and 9 December on the Apple streaming platform, placing it in contention for the Academy Awards.
One of the actor's friends left a comment that said: "It's a performance and a film unlike anything I have seen…important film and I am excited for the world to see it."
Will announced his comeback with Emancipation
Another also said: "Amazing. Brilliant. Incredible. Important. Can't wait for the world to see #Emancipation," while a fan added: "YESSSSSSS! Glad you're back!!! GOAT!" and many others reacted with similar excitement.
The plot for the movie reads: "A runaway [enslaved man] forges through the swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed him."
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This will be Will's first on-screen appearance in a piece of original content since the Oscars when he slapped Chris Rock and shortly after, won the award for Best Actor.
Since then, he has resigned from the Academy, which banned him from attending any related events for the next ten years.
The film is his first since the night of the Oscars
After an extended period of silence on social media, he returned to share a statement reiterating what he'd been up to since then, why he reacted the way he did, and whether he'd been able to reach out to Chris Rock and his family.
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