MGM’s Orion Pictures and Chinonye Chukwu have partnered to tell the story of a mother’s pursuit for justice of the lynching of her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till. Danielle Deadwyler, who is widely known for her role in HBO’s Watchmen, will be portraying Mamie Till-Mobley and has been cast alongside Whoopi Goldberg, who is set to play Alma Carthan, Till’s grandmother. Goldberg has also been named one of the producers and principal shooting for the film will begin in September in Atlanta, GA.
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One of the film’s producers Keith Beauchamp released an award-winning 2005 documentary titled The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. According to a press release provided to The Root, Till is based in part on Beauchamp’s original research. Chukwu is not only directing Till but also wrote the screenplay based on a previous draft from Beauchamp, according to Variety.
The film tells the story of Mamie Till Mobley’s resilience and the decisions she made around her son’s funeral—particularly her choice to have an open casket and to allow Jet magazine to publish the funeral photos and alert the world to the true horrors of her son’s death. “I’m honored to be partnering with MGM’s Orion Pictures and an incredible producing team in telling the story that will delve deeply into the humanities of Mamie and Emmett,” Chukwu says.
From Goldberg: “We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people…And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color, it makes it even that more important.”
Roc Nation Set to Expand and Launch New Multimedia Company
Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, is expanding, launching into the world of luxury and multimedia enterprises. Roc Nation will be branching into other types of media including a print magazine. The company has partnered with Modern Luxury Media and is set to announce “Edition by Modern Luxury Media” this winter. Edition will be a “luxe multimedia platform designed to amplify and elevate voices from diverse communities that are shaping popular culture.” according to WWD. Edition will bring different aspects of media together in a multidimensional way for viewers to enjoy and will be released six times a year via a subscription service and through print featuring digital, social and audio experiences. Edition recently named Isoul H. Harris, previously the editor of Uptown Magazine, as editor-in-chief.
Liberated Territory: A Masterclass by ARRAY and Haile Gerima
In partnership with Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and The Sankofa Film Academy, Haile Gerima will be offering Liberated Territory: A Masterclass. The class is broken into three parts: The Art and Craft of Screenplay, Cinematography and Film Directing. The 5-day workshop will take place in Los Angeles at the ARRAY Creative Campus. Focusing on storytelling and story structure through the lens of personal narratives, the participants will have the opportunity to “dive into Gerima’s past notable work,” according to a press release provided to The Root.
Applications are open to experiences and emerging storytellers across all mediums. ARRAY will be accepting applications through August 9, 2021.
Trevor Noah Is at The Tipping Point
Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions has partnered with TIME Studios, Sugar23 and P&G Studios to produce a series of documentaries called The Tipping Point which will focus on crucial and “rapidly shifting developments across our culture that are promising to reshape our world,” according to Deadline. The series will connect with culturally, economically, racially and politically significant events that have shaped our culture into what it is today and showcase individual growth and resilience. The Tipping Point will be comprised of multiple different stand-alone episodes featuring talents such as Maverick Carter, Angelina Jolie and LeBron James.
Winston Duke Is Headed to the DC Universe in Spotify’s ‘Batman Unburied’ Podcast
Winston Wayne? Yes, please.
Beloved Marvel actor Winston Duke, who portrayed M’Baku in Black Panther and Avengers, has been tapped by Spotify to be the voice of Bruce Wayne in the company’s newest podcast, “Batman Unburied.” The podcast hails from David S. Goyer, screenwriter of The Dark Knight, and the release date has not yet been announced.
Duke will be portraying his character alongside Harry Potter actor, Jason Isaacs, who will be voicing the character of Alfred. According to Deadline, this series marks one of the “highest profile scripted podcasts to date,” and is a psychological thriller designed to take listeners into the dark side of Bruce Wayne and introduce them to numerous even darker twists and villains. “Batman Unburied” is the first podcast to come from the 2020 contract between DC and Spotify per The Hollywood Reporter.
Leslie Odom Jr. Slated to Star in Universal’s $400 Million New Exorcist Trilogy
Universal Studios recently announced its $400 Million Exorcist franchise reboot. The new trilogy will be directed by David Gordon Green and produced by Blumhouse, which made a name for itself after producing Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Per Variety, Leslie Odom Jr. will be joining the cast as a concerned parent who tracks down Burstyn, the mastermind behind a series of child exorcisms after he learns his child has been possessed. The first film is slated for release on Friday, October 13, 2023—because why not make the reboot of one of the 20th century’s most disturbing films drop on a, quite frankly, cursed day?
New Tupac, Biggie and Suge Knight Documentary Headed to the Big Screen
Since 1996 and 1997, the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, respectively, have been a widely contested topic in hip hop and popular culture at large. Now, thanks to Gravitas Ventures, it seems the conversation will gain even more traction due in large part to a new documentary set to hit cinemas on August 20. Variety reports that Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac, is set to take an in-depth look at the “comprehensive history of the tragic rap feud some 25 years on, while also examining more recent allegations made by former LAPD detective Russel Poole that the murder of 24-year-old Christopher Wallace—who is better known as Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G.—was commissioned by Knight, with the help of corrupt LAPD officers.”
Directed by Nick Broomsield, the new documentary is touted as a sequel of sorts to his 2002 documentary “Biggie & Tupac,” and will hit select theaters this fall before pivoting to a streaming service.
DeWanda Wise to Star in Upcoming Series From Showtime, Three Women
She’s Gotta Have It star DeWanda Wise will be making her Showtime debut soon. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Wise has been tapped to star opposite Shailene Woodley in the series adaptation of Lisa Taddeo’s novel, titled Three Women, which “follows three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives.” Wise will portray Sloane, “an entrepreneur from the Northeast who has a committed open marriage until two sexy strangers threaten her and her husband’s aspirational love story.”
Wise can currently be seen in Netflix’s heartwarming Kevin Hart-led film, Fatherhood. Seasons one and two of She’s Gotta Have It are currently available to stream on the platform, as well. Wise can next be seen in an unspecified role in Jurassic World: Dominion, which is expected to drop some time in 2022.
Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield Tapped for Disney’s Haunted Mansion
Grammy-nominated comedian Tiffany Haddish and Oscar-nominated actor LaKieth Stanfield are in talks to star in a new iteration of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Inspired by one of Disney Parks’ most popular rides, the film is set to be directed by Dear White People creator Justin Simien. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film is set to begin filming this fall and will tell the story of “a family that moves into the titular mansion. Stanfield would play a widower who once believed in the supernatural but is now a rather lifeless tour guide in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Haddish would play a psychic hired to commune with the dead.” Interestingly, this latest reimagining will not be connected to the 2003 Eddie Murphy-led film of the same name.
Shaquille O’Neal Joins the Film World With His New Animated Short, Head Noise
Basketball legend and icon Shaquille O’Neal is making his film debut as a co-screenwriter and producer on a new short, Headnoise. The animated film is being produced by O’Neal’s company Jersey Legends Products and “examines the internal and external pressure to succeed,” per Variety. It is shown through the lens of two childhood friends, Rashaun and Damon, who both love basketball and hail from the same inner-city neighborhood. While both have dreams of going to the NBA, they have separate dreams they both need to pursue and push away in order to succeed.
Headnoise is slated to be directed by Rafael Jimenez and co-written by playwright Donnie F. Wilson. “I am so proud of Headnoise,” said O’Neal. “It is my first time writing and producing my own project. I wanted to call attention to what so many people encounter, especially young adults, who deal with anxiety and stress.”
A release date for the short has not yet been confirmed.
Fox Releases the First Teaser Trailer for Our Kind of People
Angela Vaughn (Yaya DaCosta) is taking over Martha’s Vineyard’s Oak Bluffs in Fox’s adaptation of Lawrence Otis Graham’s book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class. The teaser trailer shows DaCosta laying out her plans to take over her family’s empire with her “revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women,” according to Deadline.
The trailer shows the dichotomy of the rich and elite Black community of Martha’s Vineyard in contrast to the men and women they hire to work in their homes. Stepping out of her car in her red bottoms, DaCosta reflects on how the only crown she wears is attached to her head.
Our Kind of People also stars Morris Chestnut, Joe Morgan, Nadine Ellis, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Debbi Morgan, Alana Bright, Lance Gross, Kyle Bary and L. Scott Caldwell and is set to premiere on Fox on September 21.
Queen Latifah is Honored as the G.O.A.T at the Hip Hop Film Festival
We all knew Queen Latifah was one of the G.O.A.Ts (Greatest Of All Time) in hip hop, but now it is cemented. In June 2021, Latifah was awarded a BET Lifetime Achievement Award for her 40-year career in the industry and the Harlem Film House’s 6th annual Hip Hop Film Festival will present the G.O.A.T award during the month-long event according to All Hip Hop. Her legendary career as a musical and film/TV performer has awarded her with many accolades such as Emmy and Academy Award nominations. The Hip Hop Film Festival will begin on August 1 and run through September 3 as both a digital and in-person event.
A New Finance Series, Money With Marsai Martin Set to Air with a Focus on Financial Literacy for Gen-Z
Hollywood’s youngest producer and Black-ish actress Marsai Martin wants to teach her generation about the importance of financial literacy. Money With Marsai Martin “hosts candid conversations on financial wellness” and the intricacies and various components of what it means to be financially stable. Her unique experiences of being a highly successful Black young adult woman has given her a platform that allows her to reach a wide range of people who both identify and look up to her. She opens up about navigating financial struggles as a teenager and Money With Marsai Martin begins a dialogue with other young adults about the racial wealth gap. Black Enterprise reports that the show dives into “what can be confusing topics in an engaging and fun way.” The six-part series premiered through Verizon Media’s Gen Z video platform on July 27.
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