Hulu has cast its Iron Mike.
Moonlight breakout Trevante Rhodes has been tapped to play Mike Tyson in the streamer’s limited series, Iron Mike.
From the team behind I, Tonya, the eight-episode drama will explore the wild, tragic and controversial life and career behind what Hulu calls “one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture.” Tyson is not involved with the series in any capacity, though sources say Hulu executives briefed him and his team on the series a couple months ago.
I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers created the series, with Karin Gist (Fox’s upcoming Our Kind of People) attached to serve as showrunner and executive producer. The series hails from Disney’s 20th Television. I, Tonya helmer Craig Gillespie will also exec produce and direct the series. Fellow exec producers include I, Tonya‘s Margot Robbie and her LuckyChap colleague Tom Ackerley. Entertainment 360’s Darin Friedman will also exec produce alongside Clubhouse Pictures’ Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan. Rhodes will also exec produce the series.
While Tyson is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, he was convicted of rape and served three years of a six-year prison sentence. Tyson staged a boxing comeback after his release and lost in a 1997 rematch against Evander Holyfield in which he was famously disqualified for biting off a piece of his opponent’s ear. He retired in 2006 but returned to the ring against Roy Jones Jr. last year.
Rhodes’ casting brings him back to Hulu following his role in the streamer’s feature The United States vs. Billie Holiday. His credits include his role as adult Chiron in the Oscar-winning Moonlight and Netflix’s Birdbox. He’s repped by Jackoway Austen.
Picked up straight to series in February, Tyson immediately blasted the show as “tone deaf cultural misappropriation” of his life story. Tyson is, however, attached to exec produce a scripted series about his life, with Jamie Foxx attached to star. That project does not yet have a network attached.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Regina Hall and Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown are set to star in and produce Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul from production company Pinky Promise.
The film centers on Trinity Childs (Hall), the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist megachurch, who attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs (Brown), rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen. Shot in a faux-documentary style, the film takes a satirical look at megachurch culture and the often nebulous perspectives that are cultivated from being both entrenched in it, as well as finding yourself on the outside looking in.
“Both Regina and Sterling are forces of nature, and the sense of play and sheer creative energy they bring to these roles will be incredible to see.” said Pinky Promise co-founder Jessamine Burgum. “We’re over the moon to partner with two of the most lovely and hardworking people in town. Honestly, it’s a dream come true.”
The pic was written and will be directed by Adamma Ebo in her feature writing and directorial debut. The script was selected for the 2019 Sundance Screenwriting Intensive, as well as the 2019 Hit List. Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya will be producing through his 59% banner with Rowan Riley and Amandla Crichlow, alongside Adanne Ebo and Kara Durrett. UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance and ICM Partners arranged for the film’s financing by Pinky Promise, and they are co-representing its domestic distribution rights.
Hall can be seen reprising her role as Dawn Darcy in the hit Showtime comedy series Black Mondayrecently , opposite Don Cheadle. Hall was seen in Tate Taylor’s thriller Breaking News in Yuba County and will star and executive produce the upcoming occult drama Master, with Amazon Studios as well as Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers opposite Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy slated for August. Hall’s recently launched production company, Rh Negative, has signed a first-look deal with Showtime as well as a six-movie slate deal with ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Group.
Two-time Emmy-winning actor and producer SBrown stars in NBC’s critically acclaimed drama series This Is Us. For his role as Randall Pearson, Brown has received an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award. Next month he will executive produce and co-host the OWN television special Honoring Our Kings: OWN Honors Black Fatherhood, alongside Oprah Winfrey. In 2016, Brown won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s highly-rated award-winning television event series American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson. He has received additional Emmy nominations for his work in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. His film credits include Marvel’s Black Panther, the A24 family drama Waves and Disney’s Frozen 2. He also recently created Indian Meadows Productions under a pact with 20th Television. The company’s chief mandate is to champion diversity through the development and production of entertaining, educational and inclusive projects across multiple forms of media, including film, broadcast, cable and streaming.
Hall is represented by ICM Partners and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman. Brown is represented by CAA, JWS Entertainment and Ziffren Brittenham. Adamma and Adanne Ebo are represented by UTA, Redefine Entertainment and Ziffren Brittenham.
Pinky Promise focuses on empowering up-and-coming storytellers with the support and financing they need to achieve their vision, create wonder, and inspire empathy. Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul will join other Pinky Promise projects in development including the upcoming features, Tankhouse and Cuttlefish and upcoming series, To the Moon!.
Omari Hardwick, John Ortiz and Molly Parker have boarded The Mothership, a sci-fi adventure feature from MRC Film, Automatik and Netflix. Halle Berry previously was announced to star in and executive produce the film.
Oscar-nominated Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matthew Charman is directing the film, which will mark his feature debut. Charman also penned the screenplay, which follows Sara Morse (Berry) one year after her husband mysteriously vanished from their rural farm. When she discovers a strange, extraterrestrial object underneath their home, Sara and her kids embark on a race to find their husband, father and, most important, the truth.
Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik are producing the project. Danny Stillman also serves as exec producer.
Hardwick is best known for starring in the hit Starz drama Power and currently can be seen in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. He’s repped by WME, SMAC Entertainment, and Sloane Offer. Ortiz, whose recent credits include Horse Girl, SXSW drama The Fallout and the Netflix series Messiah, is repped by Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA. Emmy nominee Parker toplines the Netflix series Lost in Space and can be seen in its drama pic Pieces of a Woman. She is repped by CAA and Circle of Confusion.
In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
Watch the trailer below;
A new documentary from comedian Dave Chappelle has been set to close out this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
The still-untitled movie takes a glimpse into the challenges facing a rural village in Ohio during the early days of the pandemic and grapples with the emotions erupting across the nation following the Black Lives Matter movement. It will premiere on June 19 at Radio City Music Hall, marking the first time in more than a year that the iconic New York City venue is reopening its doors.
“Premiering our film at Tribeca and closing out the festival at Radio City Music Hall is a big honor,” Chappelle said in a statement. “Our film is about courage and resilience, something New Yorkers can relate to.”
Fueled by the murder of George Floyd and unable to perform live because of the pandemic, the documentary follows Chappelle as he provides the community he calls home with two things needed in difficult times — economic and comic relief. What began as an experimental socially distanced live comedy show in a neighbor’s cornfield turned into a symbol of courage for his community and the live entertainment industry as a whole. Chappelle’s company Pilot Boy Production produced the film.
Tribeca’s co-founder Jane Rosenthal called the documentary “extraordinary.”
“We’re huge fans of Dave’s ability to make us laugh and this poignant story provides us with another look at his unique talent to bring people together and the grand re-opening of a fully-vaccinated Radio City after 18 months,” she said in a statement.
Directed by Ohio-based filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, the duo said the film signifies an important chapter in their decades-long career. They have previously collaborated on the documentaries “American Factory” and “A Lion in the House,” as well as Chapelle’s stand-up special “8:46.”
“Dave is our neighbor. We see him in the grocery store, and on the street. When Dave came to us with the idea, we were immediately struck by the challenge to tell the story of our part of the world during the pandemic and the national reckoning on racial injustice,” said Reichert. “This was a historic moment and we really wanted to chronicle this place and this time, it just felt right.”
Bognar added, “Dave and his friends entrusted our team of amazing young filmmakers from Ohio with intimate moments which enabled us to create a moving portrait of artists’ as they navigated a time of fear and isolation.”
All guests will need to be fully vaccinated to attend the Radio City Music Hall event and will need to provide proof upon entry. Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 16, who may provide proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test or a negative PCR COVID-19 test.
“We are thrilled to get back to doing what we love and that our first show is with our great partners at Tribeca and the incomparable Dave Chappelle – who already made history at Radio City with his 2017 residency,” said James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment. “Radio City is a special place, and we can’t wait to open our doors to fans of live entertainment who we know are eager to gather and help jumpstart the return of New York.”
The 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival will run from June 9 through June 20. In a first for the festival, Tribeca is also hosting community screenings — in both indoor and outdoor venues — in all five New York City boroughs.
Source: Variety
Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals,” which is set to release in theaters on Nov. 5.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest space outing will follow an immortal alien race, called the Eternals, who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years. The heroes possess different powers and abilities, including super strength and the ability to fly.
“Eternals” is primarily an ensemble film. However, MCU producer Kevin Feige told Variety that if there had to be one lead character, it would Gemma Chan’s character Sersi. Posing as a museum curator on Earth, Sersi is an empathetic Eternal who possesses the ability to manipulate matter.
Richard Madden plays Ikaris, the all-powerful leader of the Eternals who can fly, shoot beams of cosmic energy from his eyes and has super strength. Angelina Jolie play Thena, a warrior who can create any weapon out of cosmic energy.
Lauren Ridloff plays Makkari, the first deaf superhero in the MCU, and Brian Tyree Henry will play Phatos, the first openly gay superhero. Don Lee is Gilgamesh, Kumail Nanjiani is Kingo, Salma Hayek plays Ajak, Lia McHugh is Sprite, Barry Keoghan plays Druig and Kit Harington is Dane Whitman, a.k.a. the Black Knight.
Zhao, who initially approached Feige and Marvel Studios about making a project revolving around the Eternals, serves as the director. At this year’s Oscars, she became the second woman in history to receive an Academy Award for best director, taking home the prestigious prize for “Nomadland.” Her film also won best picture and best actress with Frances McDormand.
Watch the trailer below.
Source: Variety
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s Bassett Vance Productions is teaming with MTV Entertainment Studios and writer Nathan Alan Davis on a limited series about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Variety has learned exclusively.
News of the series comes just before the 100 year anniversary of the massacre, which left hundreds of Black people dead and entire homes and businesses destroyed. The series tells the story of Greenwood district in Tulsa, which at that time was the wealthiest Black community in the United States and known as “Black Wall Street.” The series is the first project from Bassett Vance Productions as part of the deal made with MTV Entertainment Studios in 2020.
“As storytellers – together with Courtney, Angela and Nathan – we have the privilege of shining a light on a devastating event in our history that is important, necessary and still resonates 100 years later,” said Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer at MTV Entertainment Group. “This partnership underscores our shared commitment to raise diverse voices and create content our global audience is yearning for that is both timely and telling.”
Bassett and Vance will executive produce the series, along with Dwayne Johnson-Cochran and Lynnette Ramirez for Bassett Vance Productions. Meghan Hooper White, executive vice president and head of original movies and limited series and Amal Baggar, vice president of original movies and limited series, will oversee the project for MTV Entertainment Studios.
“Angela and I have always had a deep appreciation for history, especially when it comes to stories that are rooted in the Black community,” Vance said. “We look forward to working on this series with MTV Entertainment Studios that will explore an important slice of American history as we look to reflect on events that changed the lives of countless Black families in Tulsa, Oklahoma one hundred years ago. We are excited to work with Nathan because his vision directly aligns with the story that Angela and I want to tell. Although the series will revisit the Black pain and tragedy that took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, it will also importantly introduce to many the stories of the extraordinary, entrepreneurial people who built Black Wall Street and all that this community accomplished.”
The show will mark Davis’ first time creating a series, though he has previously written for shows like “American Soul” and “Sorry for Your Loss.” He is best known for his award-winning career as a playwright, having penned plays like “Nat Turner in Jerusalem,” “Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea,” and “The Wind and the Breeze.” He previously wrote about the Tulsa Race Massacre in his play “The High Ground,” which will premiere at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
“I am honored to be partnering with Courtney, Angela, MTV Entertainment Studios and their extraordinary teams in this vital endeavor,” Davis said. “Exploring the history of Tulsa’s Greenwood District as a limited dramatic series affords us a precious opportunity and a deep responsibility. I greatly look forward to crafting a story that will not only shed light on the people of Black Wall Street, but give fresh life to the spirit, ideas, hopes, fears, and dreams that motivated them.”
The Shop: Uninterrupted is returning for a fourth season from Friday May 28 on HBO and HBO Max.
Joining LeBron James and Maverick Carter for the season premiere are iconic music mogul Jay-Z; rapper, singer and songwriter Bad Bunny; WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike; and marketing executive Paul Rivera.
The group will discuss confidence on the big stage, parenthood and WrestleMania.
Staged periodically throughout the year, the show offers conversation and debate between some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment. Past guests include Drake, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Jimmy Kimmel, Patrick Mahomes, Lil Nas X, Will Smith, Megan Rapinoe, Kevin Hart, Rob Gronkowski and most recently, Barack Obama.
Executive producers are LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, Devin Johnson and Philip Byron; director is Robert Alexander; producers are Kevin McGrail, Brandon Riley and Rob Roediger; co-executive producer is Camille Maratchi; and creators are Paul Rivera and Randy Mims.
Source: Deadline
HBO is sticking with A Black Lady Sketch Show for a third season.
WarnerMedia’s premium cable outlet has picked up the series, created by and starring Robin Thede, for a third run. The renewal comes a few days ahead of the show’s second season finale on Friday.
An episode count for season three has yet to be determined; the first two seasons ran for six episodes each.
“Robin continues to break new ground in the world of sketch comedy,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vp HBO comedy programming. “She delivered a hilariously sharp second season, and we’re looking forward to seeing where Robin, [executive producer] Issa Rae and the A Black Lady Sketch Show team take us in season three.”
Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis, Laci Mosley and Skye Townsend star in season two; first season regular was unable to return due to scheduling conflicts after production on the current season was delayed by the pandemic. Guest stars this season have included Rae, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Williams, Skai Jackson, Ayesha Curry, Omarion and Kim Wayans.
“Making A Black Lady Sketch Show is a dream come true and I’m honored to continue our incredible series and wonderful partnership with HBO, Issa Rae, JAX Media and our entire producing team,” said Thede. “I can’t wait to push the show even further in season three and to keep delivering the laugh out loud content our audience loves to see! I see this show as a budding comedy institution, where Black women can play fully realized, non-stereotypical characters, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue to create that space for today’s premier comedians.”
Thede serves as showrunner and executive produces with Rae, via her Hoorae banner; Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry of 3 Arts Entertainment; and Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch of JAX Media. Head writer Lauren Ashley Smith is a co-ep, and Hoorae’s Deniese Davis and Montrel McKay and JAX Media’s John Skidmore are producers.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter