Buffalo 8 Productions is partnering with filmmaker Andre Gaines to fast-track the documentary “I Am Dick Gregory,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The film, which chronicles the complex life of the late comedian, activist and author, is due to wind up production in the coming weeks in Los Angeles. Gaines and his team have amassed over 300 hours of archival footage of Gregory, who died on Aug. 19, including footage shot since last year. The producers are in early discussions with distributors.
Gaines had been working Gregory and his family on the project with the Gregory’s son Christian on board as an executive producer. Gaines and Valerie Edwards are producing through their Cinemation banner, alongside Michele Farinola. The other exec producers include Luke Taylor, Matthew Helderman and Patrick DePeters through Buffalo 8 and Chad Troutwine.
“Dick Gregory is one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th and 21st Centuries,” Gaines said. “I say ‘is’ because he is still present to me, like he is to so many who admired his wit, intellect, jokes and wisdom. Telling his story and working with his son Christian to honor his legacy is as meaningful to me and my team as the short time we spent with Dick Gregory himself.”
Christian Gregory noted that his father was omitted during the “In Memoriam” segment of the Emmy Awards that aired Sept. 17 — the same weekend of his funeral.
“Although it is a highly disrespectful omission, I am certain of the fact my father would have had some colorful remarks to say about it before hurrying back to the hard work of fighting for justice and uplifting humanity,” he added. “I am especially proud of the work that Andre has been doing to tell his story. I know Dick Gregory was proud to be a part of the film before he passed.”
Gregory was the first black standup comic to perform in major white nightclubs, paving the way for Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. At the height of his career in the 1960s, Gregory abandoned that career for the civil rights movement, supporting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. He also became a health and spiritual advocate and motivational speaker.
Gregory also wrote “Murder in Memphis” which analyzed the 1968 assassination of King.” His most recent book is “Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lines.”
Producers plan to launch international sales at the American Film Market, which starts Oct. 31 in Santa Monica, Calif.
“Dick Gregory has been an integral part of every major American historical event since the 1950s, but he unfortunately has not always been given credit where it is due, especially in Hollywood,” Edwards said. “Our film will change that by finally telling the truth, and reintroducing Dick Gregory and his legacy to a new generation.”
Buffalo 8 produced the Netflix Original Film “Rodney King.” Gaines’ credits include the “Bill Nye: Science Guy” documentary and “Black Samurai” on Starz.
SOurce: Variety
Essence Magazine Jumps In TV With A New Civil-Rights Documentary With Lance Gross
Time Inc.’s Essence is teaming up with Macro, the multicultural media company founded by Charles King, on a TV documentary about the civil rights movement and a digital series featuring actor-photographer Lance Gross.
The first project of the new partnership is “I Turn My Camera On,” a 10-part series taking viewers inside the studio and life of Gross (pictured above), whose credits include Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” and “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.” The series will feature guests including Michael B. Jordan, Kelly Rowland, Keke Palmer and Omari Hardwick.
“I Turn My Camera On” is slated to premiere Oct. 4 on multiple platforms, including Essence.com and online-video network PeopleTV (formerly called the People/Entertainment Weekly Network), and will be extended to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It’s produced by Macro Digital Studio and sponsored by automaker Lexus’ L Studio.
In addition, Time Inc. Productions and Macro are developing a two-hour television documentary special shining a light on the unheralded women behind the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The companies are currently in discussions with potential distribution partners.
“As Time Inc. continues to expand each of its brands into television and digital video, joining forces with Macro and a veteran like Charles is a perfect match,” Bruce Gersh, Time Inc.’s SVP of business development and strategy, said in a statement.
Added King, “Growing up, I remember Essence magazines being displayed prominently throughout my home, and I realized its uniqueness in not only showing but celebrating black womanhood. To say that I’m proud to partner with this iconic brand is an understatement.”
King, a former top agent in WME’s film department, founded Macro in 2015. The company’s investors include Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, Michael Kassan’s MediaLink, and MNM Creative.
Macro has produced and co-financed projects including “Fences,” starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (who won an Oscar for the role); the upcoming Netflix film “Mudbound” from director Dee Rees; and “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” also starring Denzel Washington.
Time Inc. Productions’ two-part documentary special “The Story of Diana” aired on ABC last month. The division also has produced TV programming for partners including Netflix, A&E, PBS, Investigation Discovery and Animal Planet.
Time Inc.’s Essence Communications, which aims at a female African-American audience, comprises Essence magazine; Essence.com; the Essence Festival; the Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music events; and digital-media ventures for mobile, TV and VOD.
Source: Variety
truTV Steps Up In Comedy With ‘The Problem with Apu’ That Features Aziz Ansari, Whoopi Goldberg, And W. Kamau Bell
truTV announced the hour-long documentary “The Problem with Apu” will premiere Nov. 19 at 10 p.m. Hosted by comedian Hari Kondabolu,the show will address his long-standing conflict with Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Indian convenience store owner from “The Simpsons.”
The documentary will also feature Aziz Ansari, Kal Penn, Whoopi Goldberg, W. Kamau Bell, Aasif Mandvi, Hasan Minhaj, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aparna Nancherla and more to explore the problem of racial stereotyping that faces South Asians.
Snoop Dogg Set To Premiere ‘Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild’ On TBS!
Every Tuesday night starting Oct. 24, TBS will air two new shows back to back: “Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild” followed by “Drop theMic.”
The former, which will premiere at 10 p.m., enlists host Snoop Dogg and hostess Jeannie Mai for the reboot of a classic game show, “The Joker’s Wild.” The new version, set in Snoop Dogg’s own casino, will feature cameos from stars like Seth Rogen and Karlie Kloss. TBS will release the six-episode docuseries “Gettin’ Wild With Snoop Dogg,” a behind the scenes look at the show, on the network’s app, social media handles, and website leading up to the premiere.
Premiering next at 10:30 p.m. will be “Drop the Mic,” a celebrity rap battle hosted by Method Man and Hailey Baldwin based on the segment from “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” with Corden executive producing. Stars from the worlds of entertainment and sports will compete in each episode and the studio audience will determine winners.
WATCH: New Trailer For Comedy Film ‘Father Figures’ Starring Owen Wilson And Ed Helms
Owen Wilson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Zoolander 2”) and Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films, “We’re the Millers”) star in the Alcon Entertainment comedy “Father Figures,” marking the directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Lawrence Sher (“The Hangover” films).
Wilson and Helms are Kyle and Peter Reynolds, brothers whose eccentric mother raised them to believe their father had died when they were young. When they discover this to be a lie, they set out together to find their real father, and end up learning more about their mother than they probably ever wanted to know. The film also stars J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”), comedian Katt Williams, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-actor Terry Bradshaw, Ving Rhames (the “Mission Impossible” films), Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons”), and Oscar nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”), with Oscar winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”), and Oscar nominee Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as the twins’ mother.
Sher directed from a screenplay by Justin Malen (“Office Christmas Party”). The film was produced by Academy Award nominee Ivan Reitman (“Up in the Air”), Ali Bell (“Draft Day”), and Academy Award nominees Broderick Johnson and Andrew A. Kosove (“The Blindside”). Serving as executive producers were Tom Pollock, Scott Parish, Chris Cowles, Chris Fenton, and Timothy M. Bourne.
Sher’s behind-the-scenes team included director of photography John Lindley (“St. Vincent”), production designer Stephen H. Carter (art director, “Birdman”), editor Dana E. Glauberman (“Draft Day”), and two-time Oscar nominated costume designer Julie Weiss (“Frida,” “Twelve Monkeys”). The music was composed by Rob Simonsen (“Foxcatcher”).
“Father Figures” will open in theaters on December 22, 2017. An Alcon Entertainment presentation, a Montecito Picture Company Production, “Father Figures” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company. This film has been rated R for language and sexual references throughout.
Cedric the Entertainer Inks CBS Development Deal And Sets Up New Firefighter Comedy!
CBS has signed a development deal with Cedric the Entertainer. Under the pact, the network will develop multiple scripts as starring vehicles for Cedric with the intention for one of them to go to pilot. The arrangement is reminiscent to the 3-for-1 deals CBS used to do a lot of in the past where it would commission three scripts, one of which was guaranteed a pilot order.
The first project under Cedric’s development deal is multi-camera workplace comedy Ladder 54, from Kapital Entertainment and CBS TV Studios, which is believed to have a put pilot commitment.
Written by Grounded For Life creators Bill Martin & Mike Schiff based on a story by the two of them, Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone, Ladder 54 is set at a big city firehouse. Stuck at the firehouse for long shifts, a crew of firefighters eat, sleep, live, laugh and fight with each other, their relationships made more intense by the fact that at any moment, they’ll be risking their lives for one another. They’re led by a flawed but devoted captain (Cedric) whose biggest fires are in his personal life.
Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone executive produce via A Bird And A Bear Entertainment alongside Martin & Schiff and Kapital’s Kaplan and Dana Honor.
Martin and Schiff previously executive produced Cedric’s TV Land comedy series The Soul Man. They are repped by WME and Gander & Kelly.
Currently, Cedric is touring nationally on “The Comedy Get Down Tour” with fellow top comedians George Lopez, D.L. Hughley and Eddie Griffin. He next co-stars on the TBS comedy series, The Last O.G. opposite Tracy Morgan. Cedric the Entertainer and A Bird And A Bear Entertainment are repped by CAA, Visions Management, and attorneys Gordon Bobb and Nina Shaw.
At CBS, where Kapital has thee series on the air, Life In Pieces, 9JKL and Me, Myself & I, the company has a pilot production commitment for Jim Reynolds/CBS Studios multi-camera comedy Here Comes the Neighborhood and a put pilot for Liz Astrof/WBTV’s multi-camera comedy The Big House.
SOurce: Deadline
Tracy Morgan And Cedric The Entertainer Added To 2017 New York Comedy Festival
CREDIT: ERIC CHARBONNEAU/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
The 14th annual New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), in association with TBS, has announced more than 40 new shows for its 2017 lineup. The additions include “A Toast to The O.G.’s of Comedy,” a celebration of Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer of TBS’ upcoming series “The Last O.G.”
Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer will deliver a night of stand-up alongside an array of young comedians, as well as a sit-down conversation with the comics whom they have inspired. Event proceeds will benefit the Fortune Society, a charity that supports successful re-entry from incarceration.
NYCF, which runs Nov. 7-12, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco will present Comics to Watch, an annual stand-up showcase of rising comics from across the country. These acts will join an already star-studded lineup; Samantha Bee and John Oliver are just a couple of the formerly announced comedians set to perform. Previous Comics to Watch performers, such as Michael Che and Ali Wong, had their careers launched by the event. This year, for the first time, a few of the featured comics will each receive a coveted appearance on TBS’ “Conan.”
The festival also added shows from New York’s Funniest, Dino Stamatopoulos, Andy Dick, Jordan Temple, Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, Kurt Braunohler and Lauren Cook, among many others. It will take place across New York City at venues such as the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall and the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Donald Glover’s ‘Atlanta’ To Begin Filming For Season 2!
A new report says Atlanta has begun filming Season 2.
Chronicling the latest shows and movies filming across the city, Atlanta Magazine says the show is back in town.
“Crews set up shop in Mechanicsville between September 20 and 22. Also on the 22nd, filming took place at an office building in East Point. On September 25, signs were spotted leading to Southlake Mall,” reads the report.
Aside from Atlanta, other notable productions are also in town, beginning to film this month.
Night School — starring Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Yvonne Orji. Produced by Will Packer and directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Marvel’s Ant-Man & The Wasp — featuring Lawrence Fishburne and Hannah John-Kamen.
Netflix’s Nappily Ever After adaptation — starring Sanaa Lathan, Lynn Whitfield, Ernie Hudson, Lyriq Bent and Rickey Whittle.
MTV’s Scream season 3 — starring Keke Palmer, RJ Cyler, Jessica Sula, Tyga and CJ Wallace.
BET’s The Quad — led by Anika Noni Rose and Ruben Santiago Hudson.
Kumail Nanjiani Joins John Cena In New Buddy Cop Comedy Film!
John Cena and Kumail Nanjiani are attached to star in a buddy cop movie that will be directed by Ruben Fleischer, the Tracking Board has confirmed.
Universal won the project in a competitive situation that saw multiple studios pursue the project, which hails from screenwriter Murray Miller (HBO’s Girls). Fleischer and David Bernad will produce under their company The District, whose Elias Gertler will oversee the project along with Universal executive Erik Baiers.
To be honest, I love the idea of this comic pairing, particularly within this genre, which is overdue for a gamechanger. Now, I don’t know what the premise is behind the project, but I do know that Nanjiani is about to become a major star in the wake of The Big Sick and his ongoing work on HBO’s Silicon Valley.
Meanwhile, Cena has demonstrated strong comic chops in Trainwreck and Sisters, and Universal is already banking on Cera in another upcoming comedy — The Pact. Cena also recently starred in HBO’s mockumentary Tour De Pharmacy, which was written by Miller and produced by Bernad, so he has a certain rapport with these filmmakers.
It’s also important to note that thus far, Fleischer has done his best work in the action comedy genre thanks to Zombieland. He’s currently prepping the Venom movie starring Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed.
TODAY- On This Day In Comedy… In 1962 Comedian, Actor And Writer Shang Forbes Was Born!
On this day in comedy on September 27, 1962, Comedian, Actor, Writer, Shang Forbes born Kingston, Jamaica
Shang’s path to comedy is a similar story. He got on stage at an open mic on a bet. He was funny and the sky opened revealing his future. It’s a typical tale, but Shang is not a typical comedian. His apocalyptic, doomsday themes are peppered with slicing attacks on politics, policy and whatever is going on at the moment.
The subversive existentialist takes full advantage of all mediums available to comedians. Making his debut at the start of the Black Comedy Boom he appeared on Def Comedy Jam, Laffapalooza, Loco Comedy Jam and BETs Comic View multiple times as well as two half-hour comedy specials for the cable station.
Shang has made numerous guest starring appearances. He was featured on CBS’s NCIS, The Jamie Foxx Show, Zack & Cody and Passions just to name a few. He’s toured worldwide entertaining troops and dignitaries; debated hot button topics on “Politically Incorrect” and sparked candid dialogue as co-host and producer of BET’s Access Granted.
Shang was a writer for George Magazine and a staff writer for the syndicated show, The Newz. His acclaimed comedy album, “SHANGRY” was a top seller on the Uproar label and is one of the most played comedy CDs on Sirius XM.
