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Countless films and filmmakers have been influenced by auteur filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s body of work, especially his 1954 epic “Seven Samurai.”

The film, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, follows a group of seven samurai warriors who save a little village from annihilation at the hands of a group of bandits in 15th-century Japan.

Whether it’s Kurosawa’s storytelling, blocking, camera movement or even the use of weather as a character, his influences can be directly traced in modern cinema.

Quentin Tarantino’s films, such as “Kill Bill” and “Hateful Eight,” all have influences that were pulled from the film. In the 2012 film “Django Unchained,” hooded raiders come over a crested hill on horseback, which was a scene directly lifted from “Seven Samurai.”

Kurosawa’s film is the latest to screen as part of Variety 120 Screening Series presented by Barco, a summer-long program hosted by Jazz Tangcay that...

The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (Mvaaf) has announced the opening lineup for its 23rd annual celebration, providing a platform for Black and brown filmmakers, taking place Aug. 1-9, 2025.

Kicking off the festivities on Aug. 1 will be a screening of the sports documentary Unraveling George. Directed by Mike Tollin and narrated by Marlon Wayans, who portrayed George Raveling in 2023’s Air, the film chronicles the notable journey of the Hall of Fame basketball coach known for guiding the careers of several all-star players, including Michael Jordan. A Color of Conversation will immediately follow the screening.

That evening, The Dutchman — starring André Holland, Kate Mara, Aldis Hodge, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Zazie Beetz — will be presented. The thriller about a successful Black man who finds himself in a psychological game of cat and mouse with a mysterious white woman is based on the 1964 Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka...

Exclusive: Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to Cannes with a sales slate of completed titles including upcoming Tribeca Festival world premiere Our Hero, Balthazar, and SXSW selections The Dutchman, Fantasy Life, Baby Doe, and Brother Verses Brother.

Oscar Boyson’s satire Our Hero, Balthazar will screen privately for buyers ahead of its Tribeca slot and follows a wealthy New York teenager who posts on social media calling for stricter gun control in the hopes that his activist-minded crush will notice. When an online troll comments on his video and messages Balthazar, he becomes convinced that he is communicating with...

Exclusive: Qasim Basir’s Sundance Film Festival feature To Live and Die and Live is getting a theatrical release on May 16 in AMC multiplexes from AuthentiQ Films & CinemaStreet Pictures.

Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up digital rights to the movie, which will land in the home later this year.

Basir’s feature, and ode to Detroit, was lauded by top critics at its Sundance Film Festival debut in 2023 with 89% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Hollywood filmmaker Muhammad returns to his home city (Amin Joseph) to bury his stepfather and settle his accounts. But as he is thrust into old and new relationships his struggles with addiction and loss may finish him before he finishes the task.

The pic also stars Skye P. Marshall, Omari Hardwick, Cory Hardrict, Maryam Basir and Dana Gourrier. To Live and Die and Live is a AuthentiQ Films, Significant Productions, CinemaStreet Pictures and Confluential Films production. Producers are Nina Yang Bongiovi,...

The Dutchman Photo: South by Southwest

In his narrative feature directorial début, Andre Gaines adapts playwright Amiri Baraka's 1964 one-act play, The Dutchman. Set on the New York City subway, the psychological thriller revolves around Clay (André Holland), a troubled Black businessman who has a chance encounter with the mysterious white stranger Lula (Kate Mara). Meanwhile, Clay and his wife, Kaya's (Zazie Beatz) therapist, Dr Amiri (Stephen Mckinley Henderson), inexplicably appears to him outside of their counselling sessions.

Clay's chance encounter with Lula appears to be a dangerous omen that threatens to unravel his life completely. To escape this encounter, he must answer deeper questions that have led him to this moment.

Gaines' previous credits include his 2021 feature documentary début, The One And Only Dick Gregory, and 2022's, After Jackie. From looking back to the famous American comedian, Gaines's focus shifted to the struggle for racial equality in Major League Baseball,...

André Holland is on a roll with three new films, ‘The Last Supper’ tests the faith-based market, hot Vietnamese director Tran Thanh is back, and documentary October 8 examines the explosion of antisemitism after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A handful of big indies are out with wide releases from Focus Features (Black Bag) to A24 (Opus) to Falling Forward Films and Ketchup Entertainment (Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up).

Neon, the indie distributor of the moment, is out with mystery-thriller The Actor, André Holland’s third leading role this year after Sundance-premiering Love, Brooklyn by Rachael Abigail Holder, which Holland also produced, and The Dutchman, by Andre Gaines, which just debuted at SXSW. The Actor opens in NYC at the Angelika, Holland doing Q&As, at The Grove in LA and top 10 markets – 20+ screens in all.

Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, the film,...

Although Amiri Baraka’s 1964 play Dutchman is steeped with profound commentary on the era’s racism in the U.S., Andre Gaines’ contemporary adaptation takes the plot and the message to haunting levels.

Co-written by Gaines and Qasim Basir, The Dutchman stars André Holland as Clay, a successful Black man grappling with his wife Kaya’s (Zazie Beetz) infidelity, as well as his own self-perception versus how the world sees him because of the color of his skin. After multiple people in his life tell him it’s only fair for him to step out on the marriage as well, he meets Lula (Kate Mara), a sinister, seductive white woman who knows an alarming amount about him.

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes,” the film’s opening reads, quoting Carl Jung.

Nearly two years after the killing of 30-year old Black man Jordan Neely on a New York City subway,...

In The Dutchman, Andre Gaines retrofits Amiri Baraka’s caustic play about a fatal encounter between a reserved Black man and a roguish white woman for the modern age. He intensifies the dramatic work’s surrealist undertones and takes the central couple’s story above ground. No longer confined to the claustrophobic interior of a train car, Clay (André Holland) and Lula (Kate Mara) gain greater contemporary resonance but also lose some of their edge.

When Dutchman opened at the Cherry Lane Theater in 1964, its acerbic take on the relationship between white and Black Americans shocked audiences. One critic called the Off-Broadway production, which later won an Obie award, “an explosion of hatred.” He wondered: “If this is the way even one Negro feels there is ample cause for guilt as well as alarm, and for the hastening of change.”

This slim play (it was only half an hour) debuted...

Kate Mara (upcoming The Astronaut) has joined the cast of Imperfect Women, Apple’s limited series based on the 2021 novel by Araminta Hall, Deadline has learned. While her role is under wraps, she’ll star opposite the previously announced Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington, who also exec produce.

An unconventional psychological thriller examining a crime that shatters the lives of a decades-long friendship of three women, Imperfect Women is described as a mystery complicated by perspective that explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that alter our lives irrevocably. As the investigation unravels, so does the truth about how even the closest relationships can change over time.

The novel will be adapted for television by Annie Weisman, creator of Apple TV+’s acclaimed Rose Byrne series Physical, who writes and exec produces. Other EPs include Moss and Lindsey McManus for Love & Squalor Pictures, which initially optioned the book,...

A number of networks, streamers and platforms have programming planned to celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, the federal holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S.

From specials to live events and specially curated movies, Juneteenth programming begins Tuesday and extends through the month.

A rundown:

ABC News: World News Tonight. Good Morning America and GMA3 will feature Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth” who advocated for making the date a federal holiday, including a sitdown interview with DeMarco Morgan. Taraji P. Henson and Patti Labelle celebrate Juneteenth on The View, with Kool & the Gang performing. Nightline will focus on the Black male vote in key battleground states, and the show has been featuring interviews with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-fl) and D.L. Hughley. ABC News Live’s Prime with Linsey Davis has a partnership with The 10 Million Names Project, spotlighting ichael Strahan’s ancestry that is...

Exclusive: ESPN Films today announced it has greenlit an upcoming 30 for 30 documentary to be centered around the extraordinary life of Stuart Scott. Andre Gaines will direct.

Currently in production, the film tells the story of the broadcaster who shattered preconceived notions of how on-air figures were expected to look, talk, act, and think–and in the process, helped bring hip-hop and Black culture into the sports media mainstream. Scott entered the sports journalism world determined to remain authentic and quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with. He drew admirers and critics for his unique style with references to hip-hop and other Black cultural touchstones.

“Stuart Scott transcended broadcasting, journalism, sports and culture in ways that we’re only beginning to really understand and appreciate now,” says the film’s director Andre Gaines. “He made his mark on so many people, especially young black men, and his legend...

The History Channel has expanded its partnership with the SpringHill Company, the production company founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, by ordering three new documentary projects.

The first title is “Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics” (working title), which will tell the story of the the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, which was shadowed by Hitler’s white supremacist agenda, when Black track and field athlete Jesse Owens made history by winning four gold medals. Directed by Andre Gaines and narrated by Don Cheadle, the two-hour documentary will feature archival footage, animation and interviews with journalists, historians and Owens daughters as well as athletes including Carl Lewis, Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Christian Coleman, among others.

“Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics” is produced for the History Channel by Uninterrupted and Cinemation Studios in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment. Executive producers include James, Carter, Jamal Henderson and...

Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave), Paul Rudd (Only Murders in the Building) and Kate Mara (Class of ’09) have been set to star in Friendship, a new comedy from Fifth Season and BoulderLight Pictures.

Pic centers on Craig Waterman (Robinson), who enjoys his life. He likes New Balance shoes, Subway sandwiches, and Marvel movies. He lives in the suburbs with his wife, Tami, and son, Steven. He’s happy to work at Universal Digital, a company that helps brands make their products more habit-forming. Craig sees no reason to change anything or make new friends… until weatherman Brian moves into the neighborhood. Mysterious yet friendly, macho but vulnerable, Brian (Rudd) transforms everything for Craig, but Craig’s obsessive and childlike nature threatens to ruin the friendship, and possibly everything else in his life.

Friendship is the first feature from director Andrew DeYoung, who also penned the script and is exec producing alongside Tracy Rosenblum.

Exclusive: Megan Stalter (Hacks), Kanoa Goo (The Rookie), and Rainn Wilson (The Office) will topline Ily, Bye, a new short marking the narrative debut of veteran music video helmer Taylor James (Jason Mraz’s “I Feel Like Dancing”), which has wrapped production.

The short written and directed by James follows Siobhan (Stalter), a quirky, socially anxious mess who can’t seem to keep a job. Thanks to the help of her best friend Gary (Goo), she scores an interview with his boss, Mr. Litchfield (Wilson). But when her call to schedule the interview goes to voicemail, Siobhan panics and leaves a series of unhinged messages. Not wanting to lose the interview, she embarks on a chaotic mission to delete the voicemails herself. James jokes that he decided to start from scratch and pursue his dream of filmmaking “after being forced to retire” from his career as a professional backup dancer...

Exclusive: Aldis Hodge (Black Adam) and Lauren E. Banks (City on a Hill) are the latest additions to the cast of The Dutchman, the psychological thriller based on the Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka, which began filming under a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement in September.

The actors join an ensemble that includes André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz and Stephen McKinley Henderson, as we were first to tell you. Emmy nominee Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory) is directing from his screenplay written with filmmaker Qasim Basir.

Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented at the...

Though the SAG and WGA strikes are seemingly going strong without much of an end in sight, that doesn’t mean all of Hollywood has come to a halt. There are still films being produced thanks to interim agreements, which allow independent studios to continue to film as long as they agree to the demands made by SAG. This means Andre Gaines is set to begin production on his newest film, “The Dutchman.”

Read More: André Holland & Gemma Chan Star In ‘Anomalisa’ Helmer Duke Johnson’s Neon Film ‘The Actor,’ Which Has Completed Production

According to Deadline, Andre Gaines is set to direct “The Dutchman,” a film based on the acclaimed stage play from playwright Amiri Baraka.

Continue reading ‘The Dutchman’: André Holland, Kate Mara & Zazie Beetz To Star In Andre Gaines’ Adaptation Of Acclaimed Play at The Playlist.

Exclusive: André Holland (Passing), Kate Mara (Black Mirror), Zazie Beetz (The Harder They Fall) and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau Is Afraid) are set to star in The Dutchman, a psychological thriller based on the Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka that has landed a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement.

Directing from his script written with filmmaker Qasim Basir is Andre Gaines, the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate behind Showtime’s 2021 documentary The One and Only Dick Gregory. Production kicks off in New York City September 25th, putting a group of 150 or so back to work.

Set on a New York subway, The Dutchman centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented...

Exclusive: Former NFL player Andrew Hawkins and his Parks Tower Studios banner have entered into a co-production agreement with Rtg Features, the sister studio to basketball-focused media company Slam, to develop and produce a slate of cross-platform scripted and unscripted projects that spotlight sports and culture.

Hawkins comes to the deal after working with Rtg’s CEO Aron Phillips at Uninterrupted, the L.A.-based athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.

As part of the deal, Rtg will come aboard to produce Hawk, a biopic first announced a few years ago that’s based on the true story of Hawkins’ journey to the NFL. Directing the pic is Qasim Basir, the filmmaker with whom Hawkins most recently collaborated as an EP on his critically acclaimed Sundance 2023 drama, To Live and Die and Live.

The film to be produced by Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory...

Writer/director Kurt Wimmer’s recently released take on the Stephen King short story Children of the Corn is described as being a remake, but it’s different enough from the source material and the two previous adaptations – released in 1984 and 2009 – that you could really just call it “another Children of the Corn movie”. But whatever you call it, it went over pretty well with us here at JoBlo / Arrow in the Head. You can read Tyler Nichols’ 8/10 review at This Link, watch his interview with Wimmer and stars Elena Kampouris and Kate Moyer Here, and watch him discuss the film with fellow fan Mike Conway over Here. So we’re glad to share the news that the new Children of the Corn will be receiving a VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray release soon. The VOD release date is the closest; as of March 21st you’ll be able to watch the movie Here.

Last week, a new video series called Modern Horror Movie Talk made its premiere on the Arrow in the Head Show YouTube channel. With each episode of this show, we’ll be joining host Tyler Nichols as he covers all new horror releases, the latest horror movie news, and new horror trailers. Films discussed in the first episode of Modern Horror Movie Talk included Cocaine Bear, Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, and The Pope’s Exorcist. Now the second episode of Modern Horror Movie Talk is online, and in this one Tyler is joined by special guest Mike Conway to discuss the new Children of the Corn movie, which was just released last week. To find out what Tyler and Mike had to say about Children of the Corn, check out the video embedded above!

Written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, this Children of the Corn has the following synopsis: Possessed by...

Having filmed in 2020, it’s surprising that it took so long for us to finally receive the Children of the Corn remake. Usually, when that happens, it spells disaster for the film. But having the seen the film (check out my review here) I can say that it’s very fun and beautifully shot. I know I’m in the minority but I had a blast. So I was absolutely geeked to sit down with director Kurt Wimmer (who made the cult classic Equilibrium) and stars Elena Kampouris and Kate Moyer to discuss this film. I’m already really rooting for this film to find its audience because I genuinely had a lot of fun with it. Check out the interview above!

Children of the Corn Synopsis: Possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield, a twelve-year-old girl in Nebraska recruits the other children in her small town to go...

Nearly three years have gone by since we first heard that Equilibrium writer/director Kurt Wimmer was at the helm of a new adaptation of the Stephen King short story Children of the Corn – and the project (which was filmed in Australia) was one of the few productions that didn’t have to shut down during the first wave of pandemic lockdowns back in early 2020. In October of 2020, the movie was given a theatrical release… in just two theatres in Sarasota, Florida. But now we finally know when those of us who didn’t see the movie in Sarasota are going to have the chance to watch it. Wimmer’s Children of the Corn has been acquired by Shudder and Rlje Films and will be getting an 18 day theatrical release beginning on March 3rd. A digital and VOD release will follow on March 21st.

We’ve previously heard that the...

Netflix is in the process of developing an adaptation of the Black Samurai novels, and has added Chad Stahelski as director, and Leigh Dana Jackson as writer, Deadline first reported. Stahelski will be collaborating on production with Jason Spitz, Alex Young, John Schoenfelder, and Russell Ackerman. Diane Crafford is stepping in as executive producer alongside Liza Fleissig and Andre Gaines from Cinematic Studios.

Netflix is moving forward with its feature film adaptation of the popular Black Samurai novels as it has tapped Chad Stahelski to direct and Leigh Dana Jackson to adapt. Stahelski will also produce along with Jason Spitz and Alex Young for 87Eleven Entertainment as well as John Schoenfelder and Russell Ackerman for Addictive Pictures.

The Black Samurai novels are a series of books by famed thriller writer Marc Olden revolving around the character Robert Sand, an American soldier in Japan who learns the ways of the most powerful martial arts and becomes the Black Samurai, embarking on a mission to stop dangerous forces who threaten everything he holds dear.

Diane Crafford will exec produce along with Liza Fleissig and Andre Gaines of Cinemation Studios.

Stahelski is best known as the man behind the camera for the John Wick franchise, having directed every installment. He is currently in post-production on John Wick 4, which bows next year.

Click here to read the full article.

John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski has teamed up with Leigh Dana Jackson, a co-executive producer on kid-with-superpowers series Raising Dion, to tackle Netflix’s adaptation of Marc Olden’s Black Samurai novels.

Stahelski will direct, while Jackson is set to write.

Stahelski will also produce along with Jason Spitz and Alex Young of his banner 87Eleven Entertainment. John Schoenfelder and Russell Ackerman of Addictive Pictures, who were instrumental in securing the rights, are also producing.

Details on Netflix’s take were as thin as the very best katana blades, but Olden’s eight blaxploitation books, published in the 1970s, center on Robert Sand, an American soldier in Japan who learns the ways of the most powerful martial arts and becomes the Black Samurai.

The first novel saw him embarking on a mission of vengeance. The other books were globe-trotting thrillers that featured power-mad millionaires,...

The “Bridgerton” literary universe is expanding. Original series writer Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer of the romance series’ Netflix adaptation, are set to cowrite a new prequel novel set in the world of “Bridgerton.”

Currently untitled, the new book series is based on the universe of the TV series, and is an adaptation of the upcoming Netflix “Bridgerton” spinoff about a young Queen Charlotte. The book will tell the story of how Charlotte met and married King George, with a focus on how their love lead to a social shift that created the racially inclusive world seen in the television series.

“Queen Charlotte has been such a moving character to write and now having the opportunity to work with Julia to adapt this story into a book is such an exciting opportunity,” Rhimes said in a statement. “I can’t wait for fans of this universe to...

Exclusive: UTA has signed award-winning writer, director and producer Andre Gaines (After Jackie), as well as his production company Cinemation Studios, for worldwide representation in all areas. The agency will now look to help expand his business across film, television, podcasts and gaming, also working with him on several hosted programs based on popular brands.

Most recently, Gaines directed and executive produced the feature documentary After Jackie, in partnership with LeBron James and Stanley Nelson. The film examining the second wave of Black professional baseball players who followed Jackie Robinson’s trailblazing path is set to premiere on The History Channel on June 18, as part of the network’s Juneteenth celebration programming.

Gaines previously directed and produced Showtime’s The One and Only Dick Gregory, in partnership with Kevin Hart and Lena Waith. The doc on legendary comedian and activist Dick Gregory, featuring appearances by Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart,...

Alexandra Chando (The Lying Game) and Ben Rappaport (Younger, For the People) are falling in love as the stars of NBC’s untitled drama pilot based on the Dutch series A’dam – E.V.A., our sister site Deadline reports.

The potential series “chronicles the love and lives of two complete strangers whose multiple run-ins begin to defy coincidence and lead both to believe in fate,” per the official synopsis. It will pair “a serialized, stand-up-and-cheer romantic comedy with the wildly diverse and often unexpected human stories of anyone who finds themselves six degrees from Adam and Eva.”

More from...

History Channel has set the premiere date and launch plan for its original documentary “After Jackie,” a look at the second wave of Black professional baseball players who followed the trailblazing Jackie Robinson.

History Channel will premiere the two-hour documentary from LeBron James’ Uninterrupted production imprint, director Andre Gaines (“The One and Only Dick Gregory”) and producer Stanley Nelson on Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. Nelson’s Firelight Films also produced in association with Major League Baseball and in consultatin with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

History Channel disclosed the launch plan on Friday to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s history-making move to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson started at first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking the first time a Black man played in the modern Major Leagues and breaking the color barrier in the sport.

“When the Hall of Famer...

The History Channel has set a premiere date for its upcoming documentary about the Black Major League Baseball players who came after Jackie Robinson in honor of the 75th anniversary of the iconic athlete breaking the color line in the League.

“After Jackie” will premiere on June 18, the network announced Friday — which marked three-quarters of a century since Robinson’s historic first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Prior to that game, the sport had been segregated for more than 50 years.

The two-hour documentary is executive produced by another sports legend: LeBron James. James is producing the doc through his production company, Uninterrupted, with Maverick Carter, alongside Stanley Nelson, Andre Gaines and in association with the MLB.

“After Jackie” will tell “the often overlooked story of the second wave of talented Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson,” according to a statement from The History Channel. Those players include Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson,...

It’s very early to be talking about documentary contenders for next year’s Emmys, but The One and Only Dick Gregory certainly should be part of the conversation.

The film written and directed by Andre Gaines at last gives the late Gregory his rightful due—as one of the most significant figures in the history of comedy, a hero in the Civil Rights Movement and a pioneer in nutrition, health and wellness. It’s hard to separate each of the areas where Gregory made an impact, because they all sprang from a common impulse, to redeem America from its savage racism and to help his fellow human beings.

“It was within the first five minutes of meeting him that I was confident and assured in my belief that I needed to tell his story myself,” Gaines tells Deadline. “And that belief and confidence and the enthusiasm for it just built continuously over time.

History will decide for sure, but it seems likely that F9 sending cars into space at the end of June 2021 will mark the moment summer moviegoing started to return to something like normalcy. The season continues in full swing this month with the release of the first Marvel movie since Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019 and a long-awaited sequel to a Nineties NBA/Looney Tunes team-up. There’s life beyond blockbusters, on screens big and small, however, thanks to an offbeat Nicolas Cage drama, a love letter to a forgotten music fest,...

At the start of “The One and Only Dick Gregory,” Chris Rock hails the standup/activist as “one of the greatest political comedians who ever lived” and the following two hours prove the point. The first-rate doc, written and directed by Andre Gaines, is a reminder to anyone familiar with Gregory of the breadth and prescience of his work; to the uninitiated, it will be an eye-opener.

A title card identifies Gregory as “Public citizen #1, comedian, activist, health pioneer.” Aside from looking at his varied career, Gaines’ doc offers a time capsule of the tumultuous years in which he lived (1932-2017), offering a few shocks at how much of the national anguish has remained unchanged.

The film grabs the audience within the first two minutes and doesn’t let go. The opener mixes archival footage and audio clips of Gregory with testimonials from Rock and others, including Harry Belafonte and Wanda Sykes.

Showtime released a trailer for The One And Only Dick Gregory, the directorial debut from producer Andre Gaines. The documentary feature unpacks the career of Dick Gregory, the activist, pop-culture icon and thought leader who changed the lives of millions across the world through constant disruption […]

The post ‘The One and Only Dick Gregory’ To Premiere July 4 On Showtime appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Updated with full trailer, 9:40 Am: Showtime has acquired The One and Only Dick Gregory, a feature-length documentary about the comedian and activist who specialized in cultural disruption. The pic about the late icon will air, appropriately, on the Fourth of July — following its June 19 world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Watch the first full trailer above. Below is a clip above that focuses on his anti-Vietnam War stance and the angry response from J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI.

Featuring interviews with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart — who serves as an EP on the film — Wanda Sykes, W. Kamau Bell and others, the docu unpacks Gregory’s career as a stand-up comic, activist, pop-culture icon and thought leader who affected the lives of millions through constant disruption and awareness. He inspired a generation through on-the-ground activism, an untiring desire to help and his influential comedy. Featuring archival...

After a Covid-induced hiatus, Tribeca Festival returns with in-person premieres and an exciting mix of studio productions and low-fi indies. The festival has ditched the word “film” from its title in order to emphasize the fact that Tribeca now encompasses podcasting, gaming, TV and so much more. But who are they kidding? For most New Yorkers, it’s all about the movies. With that in mind, here are 11 films that should be on every festival-goer’s must-see list.

12 Mighty Orphans

Director: Ty Roberts

Cast: Luke Wilson, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker

Meet your next uplifting sports drama. In the tradition of “Rudy” or “Hoosiers” comes “12 Mighty Orphans,” the story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who became unlikely Texas state championship contenders. In the process, their plucky come-from-nowhere run inspired a country reeling from the Great Depression.

Showtime announced Wednesday it has acquired The One and Only Dick Gregory, a documentary about the influential comedian/civil rights activist.

The film will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, June 19th as part of the fest’s inaugural Juneteenth programming slate. The One and Only Dick Gregory will then arrive on Showtime on July 4th.

In this clip from the documentary, the film digs into how the late Gregory’s routines about the Vietnam War drew the ire of the FBI, who opened an investigation after J. Edgar Hoover...

Showtime Documentary Films has acquired the rights to “The One and Only Dick Gregory,” the directorial debut from producer Andre Gaines.

The documentary, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 19 and debuting on Showtime on July 4, explores the career of Dick Gregory, the legendary comedian and activist who was at the forefront of the fight for civil rights.

Gaines and his team amassed more than 300 hours of archival footage of Gregory, whose own voice bookends the documentary. Work on it began prior to his death in 2017 of heart failure, and it will show his early career as a comedian as well as the impact of his work as a self-described “agitator.” “The One and Only Dick Gregory” features interviews with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Wanda Sykes, W. Kamau Bell and more, along with original music from Black Thought.

Gregory, who died of heart failure in 2017, was a constant disruptor,...

Stacey Abrams has been tapped to receive the inaugural Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice award as part of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.

The new award named for Belafonte — the Emmy-winning actor, activist and civil rights leader — is intended to recognize individuals who have used storytelling and the arts to enact change in their communities.

Abrams, in addition to her work as a politician and voting rights activist, also produced last year’s gripping documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” which illuminated America’s history of voter suppression. As such, Tribeca announced that Abrams will be honored for her “outstanding leadership, service and commitment to fighting against injustices through her work as a political leader, voting rights activist and novelist.”

“We are proud to salute the brilliant and inspiring actor, activist and friend, Harry Belafonte with this award created in his honor,’” said Tribeca Chief Content Officer, Paula Weinstein.

After a year filled with production delays and shutdowns, Hollywood has persevered, and HBO — still the premiere destination for prestigious new shows and returning favorites — has a full slate of confirmed 2021 TV releases in the offing. Though the pandemic is still causing mayhem when it comes to any kind of long-term scheduling, some series have managed to wrap, others are in the middle of shooting, and still more have a plan to finish in time for audiences to appreciate them this very year.

Below, IndieWire has compiled a list of upcoming programs either already scheduled or fully expected to premiere this year, so you can rest assured in what’s coming. In the list below, learn all about HBO’s 2021 dramas, comedies, limited series, and more, from plot descriptions and cast lists to production timelines and possible premiere dates.

To be clear, this is a 2021 preview for HBO, not HBO Max.

The Duplass Brothers and HBO Documentary Films are producing “The Lady and the Dale,” a docuseries that will explore an audacious 1970s auto scam centered around a mysterious entrepreneur.

Per HBO’s synopsis, said mysterious entrepreneur is Elizabeth Carmichael, who rose to prominence when she released a fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicle during the 1970s gas crisis. As she wins over major carmakers and investors, a web of mystery unfolds regarding the car’s technology and Carmichael’s surprising past. A portrait of an extraordinary entrepreneur’s rise and eventual fall, the series explores a one-of-a-kind story of fraud, family and identity.

“The Lady and the Dale” is expected to air in 2021. The Duplass Brothers will executive-produce alongside Mel Eslyn, Andre Gaines, Allen Bain, Nick Cammilleri, Alana Carithers, and Zackary Drucker.

In other nonfiction news, HBO also announced “Seen & Heard,” a two-part documentary that will explore the history of Black television as...

HBO has gone into production on two new docuseries from Issa Rae and the Duplass brothers, respectively.

From Rae, “Seen & Heard” is a two-part documentary that explores “the history of Black television seen through the eyes of trailblazers who wrote, produced, created and starred in groundbreaking series of the past and present.”

From Mark and Jay Duplass, “The Lady and the Dale” is a docueseries that explores an “audacious 1970s auto scam centered around a mysterious entrepreneur.”

“Seen & Heard” is described as offering “cultural commentary about representation in black storytelling and feature interviews with actors, showrunners, writers, celebrities and other notable influencers as well as verité-driven segments and inventive use of archival material. The featured participants will reflect on their own experiences watching African Americans represented on television yesterday and today, while sharing insights into their current creative endeavors, personal experiences, and inspiration, providing a window into the larger evolution...

Room 104 and Togetherness creators Mark and Jay Duplass have set their latest HBO project – a documentary series about a 1970s auto scam centered around a mysterious entrepreneur.

The Lady and the Dale is one of a number of new documentaries unveiled by WarnerMedia’s premium cable network.

The film, which is directed by Nick Cammilleri (Slide) and Zackary Drucker (Transparent), tells the story of Elizabeth Carmichael, who rose to prominence when she released a fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicle during the 1970s gas crisis.

However, the problem was that there were questions marks whether Carmichael and the car were real. Liz Carmichael was born Jerry Dean Michael, a criminal wanted for grand theft, fraud and involvement in the Colombian drug ring. The story involves investigative journalists and hit men with employees insisting that Carmichael, one of the first public figures to be outed as transgender, worked non-stop on the revolutionary car,...

There can’t be many examples of this – Kurt Wimmer, whose credits include writing and directing Equilibrium, has wrapped production on a feature film shot on set entirely during the lockdown.

This project is a yet-to-be-titled reimagining of Stephen King’s short story Children Of The Corn, which has already spawned 10 feature movies prior to this one, and shot in Australia. It originally went into production in New South Wales at the beginning of March. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced productions to shutdown across the world (few of which have resumed yet), the producers say they consulted with local body Screen Nsw, which was a major investor in the pic, and decided to progress.

Collaborating with Safe Work Nsw and film safety expert Jon Heaney, they drew up a reconfigured shoot schedule and methodology that implemented health and safety measures for the entire production. As they were already on set together,...

Kurt Wimmer’s reimagining of “Children of the Corn” has completed its coronavirus-defying shoot in Australia. The filmmakers employed stringent health and safety protocols, and multiple insurance policies.

The producers revealed the previously undisclosed cast of young actors, with Elena Kampouris (“Before I Fall”) and Kate Moyer (“When Hope Calls”) starring. They are accompanied by Australian talent Callan Mulvey (“Avengers: Endgame”) and Bruce Spence (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”).

“You can theorize all you like about safety protocols, but until you get on set, you don’t really know. But I can now tell you it is impossible to keep a camera crew 1.5 meters apart,” producer Lucas Foster (“Ford v Ferrari”) told Variety.

Principal photography began in New South Wales in early March, when the Covid-19 outbreak forced the majority of productions around the world to shut down.

“We ended up taking hundreds of measures.

Exclusive: Guy Burnet and Nora Arnezeder are set to star in the psychological thriller Glorious Empire written and directed by Matt Szymanowski. Andre Gaines will produce and Valerie Edwards will Executive Produce for Cinemation Studios. Produce will commence at end of summer.

Glorious Empire is a love story that turns into a living nightmare as Jeremy (Burnet) suspects his girlfriend Dagmara (Arnezeder), is gaslighting Jeremy and his family in order to cover up an affair with Jeremy’s brother. Even Jeremy’s concerned parents question his mental state, until it is revealed that Dagmara may have gotten away with the ultimate deception. The pic is described as a modern day homage to thrillers such as Play Misty for Me, Fatal Attraction and Single White Female.

Szymanowski is a Polish Film School-trained writer/director and Glorious Empire reps his...

Exclusive: Producer Andre Gaines announced today that Qasim Basir will be directing the biopic of famed NFL long shot Andrew Hawkins currently titled Hawk. Gaines will produce for Curated By Media, and Hawkins will also serve as an Ep of the film. Cameras roll this summer.

Hawk follows the true story of supreme underdog Hawkins, who gained entry into the NFL after faking his height, weight and social status to earn a multimillion-dollar contract with the Cleveland Browns. Hawkins took a unique path to success. After building a mediocre football resume in college and standing only 5’7, Hawkins set out on an improbable, obstacle-ridden three year odyssey that included adding clay to heals to increase his height, adding weights to his pockets to increase his weight, and pretending to be his own agent on phone calls and emails to get admitted to tryouts – all eventually leading him to stardom in the NFL.

Exclusive: Andre Gaines, the producer behind animated sci-fi pic Rio 2096 starring Rodrigo Santoro, has signed with ICM Partners.

Gaines’ film credits include Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus along with Brazilian Western and Ladder to Damascus. He also worked on the documentaries Bill Nye: Science Guy, Bricks in Motion and the upcoming I Am Dick Gregory, which Gaines also wrote and directed.

His TV work includes the upcoming Black Samurai for Starz, starring Common and exec produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Gaines continues to be repped by Del Shaw and managed by Curated by Media.

Starz announced today that they will be developing an action-drama TV series with the working title “Black samurai” which will star Oscar-winner Common (John Wick 2, Suicide Squad, Selma), in the title role of Robert Sand. Common will also executive produce under his Freedom Road Productions banner. Working alongside this project will be Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (Kill Bill 1 & 2, American Gangster, “Gang Related”) and Mitchell Diggs will also executive produce for Wu Films. More about the show below.

Based on the Black Samurai novel written by Marc Olden, the series will follow the character of Robert Sand (Common), a highly-trained American Army Ranger whose life is transformed when he meets a legendary Japanese master who invites him to train as a samurai. After his beloved sensei and samurai brothers are killed by mercenaries, Sand is thrust on a worldwide journey of both revenge and self-discovery.

As mentioned...

Rapper and actor Common ("Hell on Wheels") has joined the cast of "The Black Samurai," a new TV series based on Marc Olden's 1970s book series and the 1977 Jim Kelly-led film adaptation.

Common will play Robert Sand, a man rescued by a Japanese samurai master and trained for seven years. After suffering from vicious racism in the military, and seeing his teacher and fellow samurai killed before his eyes by terrorists, he becomes a killing machine out to destroy the corrupt powers who took the lives of his friends.

RZA and Andre Gaines will executive produce the series which is currently seeking a network. After that, a writer and director will be hired.

Source: Variety...