Will Smith will team up with director Antoine Fuqua for a historical drama inspired by the horrifying image of a tortured slave’s back.The film, titled Emancipation, will feature Smith as a runaway slave named Peter, who evaded hunters and the dangerous swamps of Louisiana to reach freedom in the 1860s.Written by Willam N.
Collage, the story is based on photos taken of Peter’s back during a medical examination, which revealed shocking scars from injuries caused by his brutal owners.
Known as “the scourged back,” the shot first appeared in The Independent in May 1863 and went on to serve as a symbol of the gruesome realities of slavery.
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