In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, actor Jamie Foxx revealed his directorial debut may never be released because social changes made a key element of the film dicey at best.
It features actor Robert Downey Jr. playing a Mexican character.
Foxx shot the film, called All-Star Weekend, in 2016 with an all-star cast that in addition to Downey Jr. includes Jeremy Piven, Benicio del Toro, Gerard Butler and Eva Longoria.
But several elements of the film now seem out of step with the times and the film may not be in cinemas anytime soon.
Foxx told CinemaBlend:
"It’s been tough with the lay of the land when it comes to comedy."
"We’re trying to break open the sensitive corners where people go back to laughing again…"
"We hope to keep them laughing and run them right into ‘All-Star Weekend’ because we were definitely going for it."
The film centers on a pair of best friends played by Foxx and Piven who win tickets to the NBA's annual all-star weekend, but their trip is upended by a series of wacky characters, including Downey Jr.'s Mexican character and a White racist cop also played by Foxx.
Foxx spoke previously about All-Star Game during a 2017 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, likening Downey Jr.'s casting to his role in the 2008 satirical comedy Tropic Thunder, which lampooned self-aggrandizing method actors by having Downey Jr. play an Australian method actor playing a Black man in blackface.
Times of course have changed and such stunts often play very differently nowadays. And it seems Foxx is nervous to release the film in today's climate.
In a podcast appearance in May, Piven said Foxx "doesn't want to release" the film at all.
He went on to say:
"Foxx is really hard on himself. He’s one of these dudes, you know, he wants it to be perfect, so he’s been holding onto this thing for five years."
On Twitter, people were very divided on whether or not All-Star Game should be released.
Many felt the film sounded inappropriate.
But others were eager to see it.
In the meantime, Foxx is appearing in Day Shift, a vampire comedy currently streaming on Netflix.
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