The King Richard star is returning

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.

MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith celebrates Bald is Beautiful day with striking photo after Oscars controversy

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.

VIDEO: Will Smith reappears months after Chris Rock Oscars slap to answer difficult questions and issue apologies

After circulating reports, he shared that he would return with the Apple TV movie , 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."

MORE: Will Smith's ex-wife talks forgiveness in rare appearance with Jada Pinkett-Smith

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

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."

MORE: Will Smith reveals his heart 'shattered' when son Jaden made a shock request

MORE: Why Will Smith was left in utter disbelief over daughter Willow's drastic appearance change

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.

Read more HELLO! US stories here

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHLpaammZeWx6q6xGeaqKVfm7atuY5rZ2tqYWV9dX2UbGlpaV%2Bstq24jKykoqyYYsCxrdGkqmaeopq7u8WMmqWnp6WjsKa%2FjKyaq52Vo3qku8yemZqbm2Q%3D