‘House Party’ Director Hated Will Smith in His Cult-Classic Movie So Much He Risked Another Lawsuit Rather Than Move Forward

House Party was a remarkable film that came out in the year 1990. The film was almost about to feature Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff due to several legalities that forced the duo to make an appearance in the franchise.

Director Reginald Hudlin however, was unimpressed by the extreme unprofessionalism of the duo, that he would not move forward with the film. House Party, in the end, featured Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin.

Will Smith Was Removed From House Party By The Director

Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s duo was collectively called DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The duo was known to create music (more specifically hip-hop) during the early 80s to 90s. With the ongoing success of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Men in Black actor decided to create a spoof music video of the same person as Freddy Krueger by the name of Fred.

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Executives at New Line Cinema were not so happy with the blatant plagiarization and thus, a lawsuit ensued. Being the defeating party, the King Richard actor and DJ Jazzy Jeff were required to appear in some New Line Cinema movies, starting with Reginald Hudlin’s House Party.

Following the decision, director Reginald Hudlin claimed that he did not want to star Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff (even though they were famous at that time) in his movie just “because they lost a lawsuit”. In the end, Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Martin” Play were cast as the lead roles in the movie.

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Why Will Smith’s Removal Was Bad For The Actor?

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If Will Smith had somehow managed to stay in the movie, he would have had the chance to be featured in the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress. House Party, being called a cult classic received a massive reception during its release.

The film came to be preserved in the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. A remake of the 1990s film is currently in motion. Titled House Party, the film serves as a remake and homage to the original in hopes of making the newer generation rediscover the film. House Party (2023) is slated for a release date of 13th January 2023.

House Party (1990) is available to stream on HBO Max.

Source: Cracked