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The True to the Game film series brings the drama and romance of Teri Woods' novels to life on the big screen and has become a successful independent franchise. The sequels built upon the positive aspects of the original film and expanded the universe, despite mixed reviews and budgetary limitations. True to the Game, as the premiere film in the trilogy, delivered gripping drama with social commentary and strong performances while working within its budgetary limitations.

The True to the Game film series brings all the drama and romantic intrigue of the Teri Woods novels to life on the big screen, and has grown into a bona fide film franchise. Starting with 2017's True to the Game, the movies concern drug kingpin Quadir Richards (Columbus Short) as he tries to leave behind his criminal past and start a new life with Gena (Erica Peeples). Despite being independent productions, the movies...

Like its predecessors, True to the Game 3 has a talented cast that helps bring to life the characters originally found in Teri Woods's best-selling novel. Directed by David Wolfgang, the third installment of the trilogy was released in December 2021 and follows the narrative from where it left off in True to the Game 2, with Gena waking up to discover that her life was saved by Quadir. True to the Game 3 spans 72 crucial hours as Gena must return to Philadelphia to inform Bria and Gah-Git of her plans to escape an ugly fate with the presumed-to-be-dead Quadir.

True to the Game 3 is heralded by a brilliant cast, led by Columbus Short and Erica Peeples, who both received Septimius Award nominations for their performances. Director David Wolfgang also received a Septimius nomination for Best American Film while Manny Halley was recognized in the Best Soundtrack category. The...

Exclusive: Christian James (Cerebrum) is set for a key recurring role opposite Daniel Ezra, Samantha Logan and Michael Evans Behling in CW’s All American.

James will play Wade Waters, full of East Coast privilege, Wade Waters is the arrogant but talented quarterback for Gau (Golden Angeles University). He enjoys his position of power over the freshmen and makes a point to haze them by putting them in uncomfortable situations and using team status to pressure the new guys into questionable choices.

In Season 4, Spencer (Ezra) is back for his senior year at South Crenshaw High with Billy Baker (Tyler Diggs) by his side as the new head coach. With South Crenshaw High saved, and the controversial State Championship behind him, Spencer has his eyes set on the All American game and his future with the NFL, which starts with Toledo State. But first, the Beverly and South Crenshaw students...

Stars: James Russo, Alexxis Lemire, Christian James, Anirudh Pisharody, Aly Trasher, Jesse Willhite, John Ruby, Hanif Karim, Christopher Carrington | Written by Arvi, Gary D. Houk | Directed by Arvi

Cerebrum, the debut feature from director Arvi and co-writer Gary D. Houk made its premiere April 25th at the Worldfest Film Festival. The tale of experiments with human memory and father-son estrangement attracted a bit of attention ahead of its screening. Does it live up to the hype?

Tom Davis is forced to move back home with his estranged father Kirk. Tim is not happy about this although Chloe is glad to see him back in town.

Kirk is a scientist, a “cowboy Einstein” as his assistant Bhuvanesh (Anirudh Pisharody; Killer Competition) calls him. And he’s offered Tim a nice chunk of money to be the test subject for something he’s working on. A way to digitize and store the contents of your brain,...

Even as Covid-19 infections seem to reach new heights on a daily basis, theatrical grosses remained stable; the top 10 accounted for a little less than $11 million. By every other macrostatistic, however, the results remain unsustainable. Of the 3,000 complexes currently open, about half with eight or more auditoriums, the average weekend take is $5,000-$6,000. In normal times, the average would be around $50,000. Aggregate grosses are around 10 percent-15 percent of normal; this weekend last year saw a top 10 of $90,000.

The disappointments this weekend start with “Freaky.” Trying to predict what the Universal and Blumhouse Productions horror comedy would do was an inexact science; in recent weeks, $4 million has been the ceiling for a wide release. The hope was a more mainstream entry like this one could see $6 million or better.

At $3.7 million, it didn’t. Is it the increased resistance to going out? Awareness that it will be available on premium VOD in three weeks?...

“Let Him Go,” a modern-day western with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, gave Universal’s boutique unit Focus its second straight #1 for the weekend, after “Come Play” on Halloween weekend. That horror title took second place, giving Focus both top spots.

Universal overall may hold #1 for the foreseeable future. With the parent company releasing “Freaky” and “Croods: New Age” the next two weekends. This studio has been the most aggressive in pushing an early Premium VOD modeL and sold all four of these titles to theaters witht he understanding that they will be available within a month for home viewing.

That’s what happens when no other studio drops a wide release film in any week. If theaters have any chance of staying open, they can’t rely on library product. Acquiescence abounds as a new model settles in.

Perhaps with the need for diversion, as well as the lack of competition from Halloween activities,...

Update Sunday Am: Focus Features is calling Let Him Go‘s opening weekend at $4.1M after a Saturday that was up 6% over Friday with $1.56M. Sunday is being figured at $1.07M.

Talking about how the specialty label released an older adult skewing (66% over 35) feature in the pandemic marketplace, leaning toward women 52%; demos which have been seen as reluctant to head back to the cinema, Focus Distribution Boss Lisa Bunnell tells Deadline this morning, “There are moviegoers who want to go back to theaters. If you don’t offer them a film, if you don’t give people the opportunity to see a movie, you’ll never know if they’ll go back or not.” Bunnell also adds, “We’re just trying to keep theaters going.”

In an earlier note sent out to press, Bunnell beamed about the specialty label’s B.O. notch of having two movies open back-to-back at the weekend B.

The soundtrack for “True to the Game 2: Gena’s Story” will drop on Nov. 6 alongside the film’s theatrical release in select cinemas.

Future, Trippie Redd, Burna Boy and Waka Flocka Flame are among the rappers that lent their talents to songs on the movie’s soundtrack. Wheezy Beatz and Manny Halley serve as executive producers for the project.

Other artists and collaborations involved include Jeremiah featuring Ot Genesis, London on Da Track & Derez De’Shon, Manny World featuring Wc Kil, Rotimi, Yk Osiris, Fabolous, Wheezy Beatz | Fly Guy Tan, Jorge Almir, Dej Loaf featuring Nicole Bus and Dave East, Dragon/Queen, Freeway and Tamar Braxton.

Earlier this year, Braxton’s “Crazy Kind of Love” released as the first single off of the soundtrack, and an accompanying music video dropped on April 27. The Dej Loaf track, titled “Star” and released in October, served as another promotional release ahead of the movie’s upcoming premiere date.

Exclusive: APA has signed Jamal Hill, the writer and director behind the Queen Latifah-produced drama Brotherly Love.

Hill recently directed True To The Game 2, the sequel to the 2017 drama starring Vivica A. Fox, Andra Fuller, Erica Peeples, Niatia “Lil Mama” Kirkland, Iyana Halley, and Jeremy Meeks. The pic is due to hit select theaters on Nov. 6. His past credits include Streets starring Meek Mill and Nafessa Williams, Netflix’s Deuces starring Meagan Good and Larenz Tate, and The Available Wife, starring Kj Smith and acquired by Umc.

Hill, who is set to direct a new Umc series titled Lace, will continue to be managed by Sean Mik’ael Butler of Cultivate Entertainment.

Fall Girls alumna Erica Peeples is set for a recurring role in the CW’s drama series All American. The return of All American finds Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), now a football State Champion, with a tough decision to make. Does he stay in Beverly Hills and play for Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs)? Or does he move back home to South La, reunite with his mother, Grace (Karimah Westbrook), brother, Dillon (Jalyn Hall), and play for his father, Corey (Chad Coleman) – the new head coach for the South Crenshaw Chargers? Peeples will portray a mysterious character moving back to South L.A. All American is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and John A. Norris. Peeples starred in Bet’s comedy feature Fall Girls, and she recently wrapped filming the upcoming sequel...