Will Smith to play slave in Antoine Fuqua‘s thriller Emancipation

Will Smith will next play a runaway slave in director Antoine Fuqua's film, Emancipation. According to reports, the film, written by Bill Collage, is based on the life story of Peter, who was kept as a slave in a plantation in Lousiana.

Emancipation will tell the story of Peter, who escaped the slavers and ran away to join the Union Army. A photo of his scorched back taken way back 1863 is standing evidence of the horrors of slavery in the US. 

Will Smith will play the role of Peter. It is notable that the actor passed the opportunity to play the lead in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. 

Emancipation has been in the scripting stage for years now. The film will be a thriller about the escape of Peter through the treacherous swamp of Louisana, outwitting hunters and their dogs. It is said that the film's tone will be similar to Apocalypto (2006).