Motion Picture: Chance The Rapper & Adult Website
LETICIA Wright - David M. Benett/Dave Benett
Drama: Janet Mock is striking another pose. The Pose writer, director and producer is teaming up with frequent collaborator Ryan Murphy for Janet, a feature film following former Washington Post journalist Janet Cooke. Cooke is infamous for winning a Pulitzer Prize for an investigative piece until it was discovered she made the whole story up. Mock is set to direct the film as well as co-write the screenplay with Ned Martel. Mock, Martel and Murphy will produce the project.
Black Panther standout Letitia Wright will star in an upcoming thriller from Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska. The Silent Twins follows the real-life tragedy of June and Jennifer Gibbons who received the titular nickname after only communicating with each other. The sisters’ intense relationship leads them into a life of crime, psychological testing and eventually, one of their suicides. Andrea Seigel will pen the script and Wright will serve as an executive producer in addition to starring.
Jordan Peele’s horror film isn’t the only candy man making headlines. The Candy Man singer Sammy Davis Jr’s biopic has found a writer. Charles Murray will write the film following the life of the famous musician. Lionel Richie, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mike Menchel are on board to produce. The biopic will be loosely based on the icon’s memoir Yes I Can: The Sammy Davis Jr. Story. Davis Jr’s estate will be involved in the filmmaking process.
Jane the Virgin star will direct new film for the young adult audience. Justin Baldoni is attached to direct “Hold Back the Stars”, a romance based on the book by Katie Khan. The film will tell the story of a boy and a girl recalling their tumultuous relationship with only 90 minutes of oxygen left between the pair. Baldoni recently directed another YA novel adaption, “Five Feet Apart” staring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson.
Leilah Weinraub - Brian Dowling
Documentary: An insightful story will be coming from an unexpected source! Pornhub, the popular website for adult content, will be coming out with its first non-pornographic film. Shakedown will tell the story of the queer workers of a black, lesbian strip club in Los Angeles. Leilah Weinraub will direct. Weinraub collected footage for over fifteen years which will be included in the film. The documentary will be free to stream on Pornhub for the entirety of March.
Official Chance the Rapper Facebook
Comedy: Someone told a famous rapper how to get to Sesame Street! Chance the Rapper is in talks to join a cinematic adaption of the popular children’s television show. The film will follow Elmo, Big Bird and the rest of the gang after they are kicked off Sesame Street and must prove to the world that their beloved neighborhood exists. Anne Hathaway is confirmed to star and Jonothan Krisel will direct.
Kevin Hart is ready to entertain comedy lovers once again. The Jumanji: The Next Level star is attached to star in a new movie written by Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs. Malcolm D. Lee is set to direct. Lee and Hart’s last collaboration was the hit comedy Night School starring Hart and Tiffany Haddish.
The movie theater will be a good place once again! The Good Place favorite William Jackson Harper will star in an indie comedy, We Broke Up, from director Jeff Rosenberg. The movie follows a young couple who breaks up but must pretend to be together at a family wedding. Aya Cash from You’re the Worst will star opposite Harper as the female lead. Rosenberg and Laura Jacqmin wrote the screenplay. Kobi Libbi, Eduardo Franco and Azita Ghanizada also star.
Official Tati Gabrielle Facebook
Action: Denzel Washington fans are about to get every (little) thing they’ve been waiting for. Washington’s new thriller, The Little Things, has an official release date of January 29, 2021. Bohemian Rhapsody’s Rami Malek stars alongside Washington. Washington’s Deke is a sheriff with a knack for paying attention to the little things. He joins forces with Malek’s Baxter to hunt down a serial killer. John Lee Hancock wrote the screenplay and will serve as director.
A popular video game is getting both the big-screen adaption and the star treatment. Recent Academy Award nominee Antonio Banderas joined the cast of Uncharted. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Tati Gabrielle and Truth or Dare actress Sophia Ali will also be joining the cast. Uncharted is based on the popular PlayStation series of the same name. The games follow a treasure hunter who solves historical mysteries. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg round out the cast with Ruben Fleischer set to direct. Sony plans on releasing the film March 5, 2021.
Adonis Creed will be back in the ring. A third installment of the Michael B. Jordan led boxing series has found a screenwriter. Zach Baylin will write the script for Creed 3, but a director is still to be announced. The first two films were directed by Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr respectively. A production date is unknown. Michael B. Jordan is currently heading into production on several projects including A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington.
A spooky new film is in the works. Rob Lee’s Spooky Pictures solidified a multi-picture deal with Image Nation Abu Dhabi. The first film will be Watcher, a psychological thriller from director Chloe Okuno. Lee is well known for producing the horror hit The Ring. Watcher follows a woman who moves into a new apartment but fears she is being watched by a mysterious person.
Official Lebron James Instagram
Industry: The King is hoping to extend his reign from the basketball court to Hollywood. Lebron James is looking to strike a deal with major studios for his content company, Springhill Entertainment. The company’s deal with Warner Brothers Entertainment is supposedly ending and James has had discussions with competing studios such as Disney, Netflix and Amazon. Springhill Entertainment is interested in making separate deals for both film and television. The studio’s current projects are Space Jam 2 starring Lebron James as well as Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, a Netflix miniseries starring Octavia Spencer.
Sheila Walcott has been hired as the Head of Film and Television over at Malcolm D. Lee’s Blackmaled Productions. Walcott previously worked on films such as Ocean’s 8, A Star is Born and In the Heights as Director of Development for Warner Brothers. Walcott will begin to oversee several upcoming projects including Universal films’ The Classic and Real Talk.
“Malcolm’s unique eye for compelling content that crosses all genres is unparalleled” said Walcott to Deadline, “and I look forward to building on his incredible body of work.”