Black in Period Films

We have the finally trailer for the 2024 Bob Marley biopic, Bob Marley: One Love. The film celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity.  Discover Bob Marley's powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Produced in partnership with the Marley family and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita. Bob Marley: One Love is in theatres February 14, 2024.

Apple TV+ announced their adaptation of the last novel written by Edith Wharton. We finally have an official trailer. The series follows a group of fun-loving young American girls as they search for love in 1870s London. “The Buccaneers” stars Alisha Boe as Conchita Closson and  Matthew Broome as Guy Thwarte. The Buccaneers premieres November 8 on   Apple TV+ .

“Black Cake” is an adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson's 2022 The New York Times-bestselling book. The novel is an entertaining mix of a family drama and a murder mystery. The story spans decades and takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California. "In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey (played by Mia Isaac) disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. Fifty years later in California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung), loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron (Ashley Thomas) and Benny (Adrienne Warren), a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin." ~ Official Synopsis  You can watch Black Cake on Hulu on November 1. 

"Lessons in Chemistry" is based on the best-selling novel by  Bonnie Garmus.  "After being fired from her job as a lab tech, chemist Elizabeth Zott uses her new job hosting a 1960s television cooking show titled Supper at Six to educate housewives on scientific topics." ~ Official Synopsis On September 8th we were given this image through a Vanity Fair First Look. It features (left to right) Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, Aja Naomi King as Harriet Sloan, Keena Ferguson as Rhoda, and Constance Ejuma as Agnes in Lessons In Chemistry. This image paired with the official trailer tells me that the series is going to be different from the book. Aja's character Harriet Sloan was an unhappily married older white woman in the book. So I am very interested to see how the Harriet character (and the other black characters) are handled in this version of the story.  Lessons in Chemistry premieres October 13 on Apple TV+.

We're getting a spiritual sequel to Black Dynamite! Hell bent on avenging the death of his father, Johnny Black (Michael Jai White) vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process while posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious Land Baron. Directed by Michael Jai White Outlaw Johnny Black will be in theaters September 15!

The Wonder Years season 2 will premiere June 14 on ABC! I really enjoyed season 1 of the series and can't wait to see what Dean, his family, and friends gets up to in the next season.  The series can also be streamed on HULU.

 Here we get a preview of what's to come in the third and final season of Sanditon. Skip this video if you don't want light spoilers of previous Sanditon seasons.  I hope Georgiana Lambe (played by Crystal Clarke) finally gets her Jane Austen style happily ever after! A loving husband who sees her as a human in her own right and isn't after her for her fortune.  Have you been keeping up with Sanditon? If so, what do you want for season 3?

Jada Pinkett Smith has developed a new documentary series that explores the lives of important and iconic African Queens.  Netflix Season Synopsis: The first season will cover the life of Njinga, the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern day Angola. The nation’s first female ruler, Njinga earned a reputation for her blend of political and diplomatic skill with military prowess and became an icon of resistance. I know about Njinga of (modern day) Angola because of the amazing book, Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 by Patricia McKissack . The book was a part of the "The Royal Diaries" series; a children's book series that shaped my love for history. The Royal Diaries series consisted of 20 books published by Scholastic Press from 1999 to 2005. Each book was an epistolary fiction novel written in the form of a childhood diary from a real royal female figure. If you got to experience these am...

Tyler Perry is writing, directing and producing a WWII drama for Netflix. The film which is currently in production, is titled Six Triple Eight. The historical epic will tell the true story of The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion aka the Six Triple Eight. The Six Triple Eight was an all-black battalion of the Women's Army Corps. The 855 women were led by Major Charity Adams.  The film is based on an article written by Kevin M. Hymel and published in WWII History Magazine by Sovereign Media. The cast is chalk full of talent, both new and established. Kerry Washington will star and exec produce the film. Alongside her we’ll see Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Jeanté Godlock, Moriah Brown, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jay Reeves and Oprah Winfrey. Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, Gregg Sulkin and Dean Norris are also a part of the cast. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only all-black, all-female battalion...

Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space is a detailed biography of author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Although she is best remembered by many for her novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God.", Hurston is also behind groundbreaking anthropological work that challenged preconceived notions about race, gender and culture that had long defined the field in the 19th century. Directed by Tracy Heather Strain, produced by Randall MacLowry and executive produced by Cameo George, Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space premieres Tuesday, January 17 at 9/8 central on PBS.