Will Smith is set to play a runaway slave in an action thriller film titled Emancipation in collaboration with director Antoine Fuqua.The 51-year-old actor will play the role of Peter in the historical motion picture, which is based off a true story from an 1863 photo titled The Scourged Back.The image, according to History.com, depicts Peter showing off a heavily scarred back after a treacherous journey to freedom. (The photo, which was in Harper’s Weekly in July of 1863, was critical in changing the beliefs of white Northerners looking to abolish slavery.) New role:Will Smith, 51, is set to play a runaway slave in an action thriller film titled Emancipation in collaboration with director Antoine Fuqua, 54In the film, Smith's character.