Wesley Snipes and Michael K. Williams are starring in the Western “The Harder They Fall” with Jeymes Samuel directing from his own script, Variety has learned exclusively.
Samuel, Mark Collins and Maandi Media will be producing in association with Das Films. The cast includes Rosario Dawson, Bokeem Woodbine, Erykah Badu, Jesse Williams and Felicia Pearson.
The deal was announced at the Cannes Film Festival. Shooting is scheduled for the late summer.
Set in Oklahoma in the late 1800s, the story centers around a gang of black outlaws (led by Williams) on a mission to kill Snipes’ character, who leads a gang of murderous bandits.
Samuel wrote, directed and scored the short film titled “They Die by Dawn,” which was accompanied by the music from his debut album “They Die by Dawn & Other Short Stories.” Samuel also worked alongside Baz Luhrmann and Jay Z as executive music consultant on Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.”
Maandi Media recently signed a multi-film deal with WWE Studios with the aim of developing and producing branded content.
Das Films produced “Into the Forest,” starring Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood. The company is currently in post production on Duane Adler’s “Heartbeats.”
Snipes spent over two years in prison for failing to file federal income tax returns and was released in April 2013. Since then, he’s appeared in “Expendables 3,” “Chi-raq” and starred in the NBC series “The Player.”
Williams is best known for starring in the HBO series “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire.” He’ll be seen next in “Assassin’s Creed.”
Source: Vari
