Motion Picture: NBCUniversal Unveils ‘Scene In Color’ Film Series, Riz Ahmed Study Uncovers Severe Lack of Muslim Portrayal in Film
Michael Peña - Jean Baptiste Lacroix / Stringer
Action: LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah, Uncut Gems) has joined the cast of Foe, a sci-fi thriller adaptation of Ian Reid’s (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) 2018 novel. Directed by Garth Davis and adapted for the screen by Davis and Reid, the film follows a young couple whose lives are changed when a mysterious stranger (Stanfield) brings uprooting news to their isolated farmhouse. Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal will star alongside Stanfield with Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Emile Sherman, and Iain Canning set to produce.
Ant Man and the Wasp star Michael Peña will join Owen Wilson for Secret Headquarters, a family action feature about a child that discovers the lair of the world’s most powerful superhero hidden under his house. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman with a script penned by Shulman, Joost, and Josh Koenigsberg, Paramount’s Secret Headquarters is slated for release on August 12, 2022. Peña’s role is currently unknown.
Whoopi Goldberg is set to voice a lead role in the Apple and Skydance Animation feature Luck. Written by Kiel Murray and directed by Peggy Holmes Luck follows the story of “the unluckiest girl in the world” who, after discovering a realm of impossibly good and bad luck, must team up with magical beings to uncover an even more powerful force at play. Goldberg will portray The Captain, the no-nonsense head of security for the Land of Good Luck. The feature will premiere on Apple+.
Liza Koshy and Gina Rodriquez - Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/George Pimentel
Comedy: Liza Koshy of internet celebrity and Work It fame will join Gina Rodriguez and The Kissing Booth’s Joel Courtney in Netflix rom-com Players. The film follows NYC sportswriter Mack (Rodriguez) and her friend Adam (played by Damon Wayans Jr.) as they develop their hook-up “plays,” but everything changes when Mack catches feelings for her next target (played by Tom Ellis). The script is written by Whit Anderson and directed by Trish Sei (Pitch Perfect 3) with Marc Platt, Ryan Christians, and Ross Dinerstein to produce. The roles of Koshy and Courtney are currently unknown.
Bernie Mac - Raymond Boyd
Drama: Succession actress Sanaa Lathan is set to make her feature directorial debut with On The Come Up, a Paramount Players adaptation of Angie Thomas’ same-named novel. This is not the first time Thomas’s work has made it to the big screen, as her debut novel, The Hate U Give, was adapted as a Fox 2000 feature in 2019. On The Come Up follows the story of the aspiring 16-year old rapper Bri and the vilification of her character by media outlets when her expressive debut track goes viral. The film is produced by Temple Hill, State Street, and Angie Thomas with a script adapted by Kay Oyegun.
John Legend’s production company, Get Lifted, is currently developing a biopic with the Bernie Mac estate about the late comedian’s career. Legend and his producing partner Mike Jackson revealed the existence of the project at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, have said the deal “just happened [that] day.” Plot details, as well as cast and crew information, are not available at this time.
Riz Ahmed - Handout
Industry Update: NBCUniversal has teamed up with producer Will Packer and Target in launching the film series Scene In Color, designed specifically to highlight the work and creativity of BIPOC artists. Hosted by Packer, Scene In Color will feature a trio of shorts directed by Kristian King, Addison Wright, and Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah during movie nights on Syfy, Bravo, and the USA. The shorts will also be available for streaming on the NBCU platform Peacock.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Shawn Finnie as the new EVP of Member Relations and Rewards. Finnie will report to COO Christine Simmons and work closely with the Academy’s Office of Representation, Inclusion, and Equity, and the Branch Executive Committees to further efforts of inclusion, engagement, and outreach for the Academy’s global members. Notable strides made by the committee previously include the limited series of discussion panels during the summer of 2020 titled “Acadamy Dialogue: It Starts With Us,” which explored the intersection of race and culture in filmmaking with guests as well as host Academy Governor Whoopi Goldberg. Prior to his promotion, Finnie served as senior director of Member Relations and Awards and has been with the AMPAS for eight years.
In a recent study commissioned by actor Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal, Nightcrawler), the advocacy group Pillars Fund and the Ford Foundation, Dr. Stacey L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that Muslims account for a mere 1.6% of the total 8,965 speaking characters found in 200 films surveyed between 2017 and 2019. Even more troubling, of the sub-10% of speaking Muslim characters existing within the 200 films, 76.4% were male – making the ratio of male Muslim characters to female 175 to 1. Pillars Fund co-founder and president Kashif Shaikh has stated that “The ‘Missing and Maligned’ study reveals the scope of the problem facing Muslims in entertainment and the urgent need for solutions that increase the presence of Muslim voices in storytelling.” Read the full report here.
