Motion Picture: Will Smith, Ciara
Will Smith - Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Action: A runaway slave thriller gained a huge star. Will Smith will star in Emancipation, a new thriller following an escaped slave having to face the hunters and elements of the Louisiana swamps. Antoine Fuqua of Training Day and The Equalizer is set to direct. Smith is producing alongside James Lassiter and Jon None of Westbrook Studios. Todd Black, Joey Mc Farland and Cliff Roberts are also executive producing. William N. Collage is writing the script of the production set to start in early 2021.
A prominent This Is Us star has a new silver screen endeavor. Melánie Liburd is joining Kevin Hart in Sony’s latest action comedy, Man From Toronto. The movie follows a deadly assassin who gets involved in a case of mistaken identity with a regular citizen, played by Hart. Liburd will star as his wife. The Hitman Bodyguard’s Patrick Hughes is set to direct while Robbie Fox and Chris Bremmer will write the script. Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Steve Tisch will produce. Woody Harrelson and Kaley Cuoco are also set to star. Man from Toronto has a September 2021 release date.
Lucy Liu - Gary Gershoff
Comedy: A crazy rich Asian is joining a new romantic comedy. Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu is set to star in Mr. Malcolm's List. The film follows a woman who vows revenge on a bachelor after she doesn’t meet the requirements on his list. Emma Holly Jones is directing since the project is based on a short film she made. Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu and Oliver Jackson-Cohen are also starring.
A popular television creator is developing a new movie. Nahnatchka Khan, the mind behind Fresh Off the Boat, is adapting Dial A for Aunties from page to screen. The story by Indonesia-based author Jesse Q. Sutanto follows a wedding photographer who tries to hide the body of her blind date while working the wedding of a wealthy client. A writer has yet to be announced while Sutanto will serve as executive producer. Kahn and Chloe Yellin will produce in addition to John and Jordan Davis. Khan will direct the feature.
The movie Momentum Pictures just bought the rights too is a real drag. Stage Mother, a comedy starring Lucy Liu, was bought by the company and is set for an August 21 release. The movie follows a conservative choir director who inherits her deceased son’s drag club. Jacki Weaver, Mya Taylor and Adrian Grenier also star.
Ciara and Russell Wilson - NBC
Drama: A prominent power couple is producing a new movie based on a true story. Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson and Grammy-winning artist Ciara are executive producing, Not Without Hope, through their production company, Why Not You. Not Without Hope follows a group of four stranded at sea during a fishing trip gone wrong. Miles Teller is on board to star as the film’s lead while Rupert Wainwright is set to direct. E. Nicholas Mariani penned the script.
A mysterious short story is getting the big screen treatment. Oscar Isaac is set to star in London, a film adaptation of the Jo Nesbo short story The Snowman. Isaac will produce under his Mad Gene Media company with Jason Spire. Ben Stiller is on board to direct.
A tennis champion is getting his own biopic. Arthur Ashe, the only black man to win the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Kevin Willmott of BlacKkKlansman will write the screenplay. Ashe’s wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe will executively produce alongside Priya Amritraj and Addison Ashe.
Viola Davis -Rachel Murray / Stringer
Documentary: Netflix is giving a voice to a festival favorite. The streamer has gained the rights to Giving Voice, a documentary following students competing in the August Wilson Monologue Competition. The Viola Davis produced project following young theatre students won the favorite award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. James D. Stern and Fernando Villena directed the film. It is set to hit Netflix later this year.
Giving Voice is not the only doc picked up by a popular streamer. Amazon Studios bought the currently untitled voting rights documentary centering on Stacey Abrams. Abrams gained notoriety from being the first black woman to be a major party’s gubernatorial nominee. Her close loss resulted in speculation that her opponent used voter suppression tactics. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés are set to direct. Abrams is on board to produce. The documentary will be released on Amazon Prime after a theatrical run.
Industry: A Nigerian producer is adapting several novels into Netflix original films. Mo Abudu signed a multi-year deal with the streamer in conjunction with the company’s commitment to create original African content. EbonyLife, Abudu’s production company, will create multiple movies and two television series. The Secret Life of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin and Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka are just two of the books Abudu is adapting. Netflix recently partnered with Star Wars’ John Boyega to bring two Nigerian films to Netflix as well.