COVID-19 issues aside, Emancipation shooting in Louisiana arguably worked out for the better since that’s where the story is set. Will Smith stars in Emancipation as a slave names Peter, who flees the Louisiana plantation he’d been serving on after being nearly beaten to death. Peter ventures through the dangerous Louisiana swamps and avoids hunters as he makes his way to the north and eventually joins the Union army. The movie is based on a true life story, with the photograph of Peter’s scarred back, which was taken in 1863, being called “The Scourged Back.” Along with his performing duties, Smith is executive producing Emancipation.