The Will Smith Redemption Tour made a stop in the Middle East over the weekend, as the star appeared at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. It was here that he hinted at his various “mistakes” and teased I Am Legend 2.
Speaking at the event, Will Smith said, “I love puzzles, I love problems. Yeah, so I started making my own problems. Life is going too well.” One of those problems, of course, was assaulting a comedian in front of millions of viewers for making a mediocre joke about his wife. Another is that Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have one of the most unhinged “relationships” in Hollywood.
Still, Will Smith was reportedly met with a welcome reception, with fans cheering his arrival and commitment to the crowd. On this – and his claimed attempts at bringing positivity to the world – he said, “Fame is a unique monster…You can’t get too excited when people say good things about you. Because then when people say bad things about you, you struggle and suffer more. I have to be clear about who I am and what I am attempting to do in the world. And I can’t need others to applaud for me to stay focused on my mission…I want you to feel good. And at the same time, I am deeply human. And I am in the process of perfecting my virtue.”
As for upcoming projects, Will Smith also teased the sequel to I Am Legend, saying he was talking to producer and star Michael B. Jordan about the film this week. The planned follow-up will use the alternate ending – in which Dr. Robert Neville doesn’t die by his own hand – thus allowing Smith to return in I Am Legend 2. Smith also has Bad Boys 4 slated for a 2024 release.
While Will Smith won’t really have anything to promote until then, his sporadic appearances do show him trying to save some face wherever he can. He may have stuck the landing in Saudi Arabia, but we have to wonder how easily American audiences will buy it.
Considering his warm reception this weekend, where do you see Will Smith’s future in Hollywood going? Give us your predictions below.