LOS ANGELES (BLOOMBERG) - Walt Disney's National Geographic division is delaying production of Pole To Pole, a nature series featuring Will Smith visiting the North and South Poles.

The series, the third the actor has done for the studio, was to have begun shooting in three weeks.

Work will now be pushed back until the fall, according to a person familiar with the company's plans who asked not to be identified.

The delay is the latest sign that Smith is facing fallout in the entertainment industry in the aftermath of Oscar night last month.

The actor won an Academy Award for best actor minutes after slapping presenter Chris Rock because of a joke the comedian made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Variety reported earlier this month that Netflix would slow development on a Smith-starring action movie called Fast And Loose.

A representative for Smith didn't return a request for comment.

Smith apologised and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The academy later banned him from attending its events for 10 years.