Black in Period Films

Lashana Lynch has been casted to play Bob Marley’s wife, Rita , in the untitled Bob Marley pic for Paramount.  Kingsley Ben-Adir will be portraying the legendary Reggae singer with King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green helming the project. Lynch was casted during a lengthy casting search, her c asting process was similar to the casting for Bob Marley.  The production put a lot into finding the right person to play Rita. One of the requirements was that the actress be someone of Jamaican descent. Lynch was born in London, England but to a family from Jamaica. After several tests and chemistry reads with Ben-Adir,  Lynch won over execs, Rita, and the Marley family.  I personally love when time and effort like this is put into casting black historical figures. So often biopic castings can feel like the execs closed their eyes and picked the nearest popular actor to take on the role. Knowing that the Marley family all gave their blessing to the casting ma...

 I think this is an amazing casting. Just see for yourself! Raven Goodwin has been chosen to play Hattie McDaniel, the legendary actress who was the first African American to ever win an Oscar; for her role as Mammy in 1939’s Gone With the Wind. The biopic will be called Behind the Smile. I think its an apt name because I have always loved Hattie McDaniel's smile. Additionally, I'm quite positive McDaniel had to hide a lot of her feelings behind her smile. Her acting career options were limited and she faced many injustices. But, she preserved and became a legend in the process. I look forward to seeing her story brought to screen.  Jami McCoy-Lankford of Hillionaire Productions and Global Genesis Group is producing the indie film. Regarding the casting of Raven Goodwin McCoy-Lankford said, “Raven Goodwin is such a phenomenal talent and a gift to this project. In our first meeting on Zoom, she already showed the kind of passion that is befitting such a complex and iconic chara...

The trailer is finally here for the Madame C.J. Walker biopic, 'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker'. The production has an amazing cast staring  Octavia Spencer as the trailblazing businesswoman. The production looks absolutely amazing. I am LOVING the costumes and set dressings. Everyone looks lovely. The limited series is based on the biography On Her Own Ground by  by Walker's great-great-grandaughter,  A'Lelia Bundles . Cast Octavia Spencer as Sarah Breedlove/Madame  C. J. Walker Blair Underwood as husband C.J. Walker Tiffany Haddish as daughter Lelia Garrett Morris as Walker’s father-in-law Carmen Ejogo as business rival Addie Munroe Kevin Carroll as her lawyer Freeman Ransom Bill Bellamy as Freeman Ransom’s cousin Sweetness Netflix will release the four part series of “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” on March 20. What do you think of the trailer and will you be watching? ...

Watch Jennifer Hudson capture The Queen of Soul's essence in this short trailer for the upcoming 2020 Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect.

Jennifer Hudson and her costar Marlon Wayan look picture perfect on the set of the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic titled Respect. I'm in love with this cute 60's trench. (Picture: MEGA) Jennifer as Aretha in a cool 60s car. (Picture: MEGA) Marlon Wayans is playing Aretha's husband Ted White (Picture: MEGA) Jennifer looks awesome! (Picture: Splash) What do you think of these on set  images? 

Producer Billy Peterson has chosen “Seacole,” as his first feature film for his new production company, Racing Green Pictures. Racing Green Pictures says that one of its goals is to back prestige films with strong social messages. Seacole fits the bill as it will center on Mary Seacole, a pioneering Jamaican nurse who cared for wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War and found herself at odds with Florence Nightingale. Period film mainstay Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Belle”, "Free State of Jones") will be playing the British-Jamaican business woman and nurse who worked behind the lines during the Crimean War. Mbatha-Raw will be joined by Sam Worthington (“Avatar”). “Seacole” will shoot over the next two months in Malta, Romania and London. The goal is to be ready for a festival circuit debut in 2020.

Liesl Tommy has been chosen by MGM to direct Respect, the feature film about music icon Aretha Franklin. Oscar winning Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson was handpicked by Franklin herself to play her in the role. The film will follow Franklin’s coming of age to icon status, from singing as a child in her father’s church’s choir to becoming an iconic superstar and civil rights activist. Liesl Tommy is best known for her award winning theater direction and is the first black woman to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play. Some of her work includes a 2012 production of Hamlet at California Shakespeare Theatre and Les Misérables. She will be directing Born A Crime, based on Trevor Noah’s autobiography, starring Lupita Nyong’o as his mother Patricia Noah.  Oscar-winning Thelma & Louise and Nashville creator Callie Khouri is writing. On her involvement with the project Tommy said: “The story of Aretha Franklin’s journey from child prodigy in Detr...

Actress Keesha Sharp ( Marshall ) has acquired the rights to the 2013 biography America’s Mistress: The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt. She along with her husband Brad Sharp, will develop it as a feature film starring her as Kitt. Beyond their resemblance, I was pleased to find that Keesha Sharp has been expressing a desire to bring Kitt's life to screen since 2009 .  Additionally, Sharp is musically gifted with a knowledge of multiple instruments ( piano, cello, and clarinet) and experience in musical theater. When making the project announcement to Deadline , Sharp expressed her strong desire to play the role stating: “Eartha Kitt was a force in the entertainment industry and an icon who opened doors for so many women, especially women of color during a time when it was not popular in America. Although I may have been compared to her in the past, I am passionate about bringing her story to life because everyone needs to know how incredible she was! People don’t men...

Interesting news about the Austrian film Angelo . Our #TIFF18 Platform lineup includes: Markus Schleinzer’s long-awaited second feature and true-story drama, ANGELO, about an African boy who was abducted, sold, and forced into 18th-century Viennese court life. pic.twitter.com/kYAn83WQqb — TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 8, 2018 Markus Schleinzer’s long-awaited second feature and true-story drama, ANGELO, about an African boy who was abducted, sold, and forced into 18th-century Viennese court life. It is inspired by the few surviving records of the life of the Viennese court moor Angelo Soliman.  A portrait of Angelo Soliman.   The IMDb page has 5 actors listed for the role of Angelo. Based on released pictures from the film, I can assume that the actors are playing Angelo at different stages in his life.  There is also an actress listed as Angelo's daughter. Ange Samuel Koffi D'Auila - Angelo 1 Kenny Nzogang - Angelo 2 Ryan Nzogang - Angelo 3 Makita Samba - Angelo ...

Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games, NBC’s Shades of Blue) has been casted as Shields Green, in an upcoming Sobini Films project; titled Emperor. Shields Green Photo from West Virginia State Archives Shield Green’s Story : Shields Green was born into slavery in Charleston,South Carolina. His exact birth year is unknown, but it varies from 1825 to 1836. When he was a young man he escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad. Green was between the ages of 24-34, as he escaped a little over a year before the Harper’s Ferry Raid. As with his age, there is some question about whether he left behind a son when he ran. After making it through the Underground Railroad network to Rochester, New York, Green meet Frederick Douglass was provided with shelter and introduced to radical abolitionists like John Brown. This alone is biopic material; however his next decisions make his story even more film worthy. Instead of continuing to freedom in Canada, Shields Green decided to stay in America...

Some exciting news about Jussie Smollett and his role as Langston Hughes as developed! In an interview with ESSENCE 's Yes Girl podcast, Jussie Smollett says that he'll be portraying Langston Hughes in a future biopic for the poet and activist. Had to go butt faced to become the great #LangstonHughes in the upcoming film #Marshall. Thank you @reggiehudlin for the opportunity. It's been a dream. 🙏🏿 A post shared by Jussie Smollett (@jussiesmollett) on Jun 8, 2016 at 6:36pm PDT He says: "I was doing a tribute to John Legend at the NAACP Image Awards —not this past one but the year before— and Reginald (Hudlin, the director of Marshall) came up to me and said, 'You favor Langston Hughes so much. I just want to know if you'd be down to do a cameo in Marshall as Langston Hughes?'" Smollett said he told the director, "I'll do it on one condition —that within three years, we do the full Langston Hughes movie," to which he respo...

We previously posted about this limited series featuring Octavia Spencer  here and here on our tumblr page. Now that we are getting even more information I think it is the perfect time to post something about this exciting project here. Picture Source According to Variety the series is going to be picked up by Netflix; as they showed interest in it. The series is based on the book “On Her Own Ground” which was written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles. Bundles is also serving as a consultant on the series, which is very encouraging. With James’ production company (SpringHill Entertainment) producing it things are looking good for this series. Netflix hasn't made a comment, but I'll update if they do. I must say that I LOVE the casting of Spencer as Walker, and can't wait to see her in the amazing outfits.

Kat Graham has been casted to play Tammi Terrell. Tammi Terrell is a talented singer that lived a rather tragic life. Tammi Terrell is most known for her classic duets with friend Marvin Gaye : Ain't No Mountain High Enough and You're All I Need to Get By. From what I've seen from Kat I believe that she will be able to carry the emotion that is sure to come with a Tammi Terrell biopic. What do you think about this casting?

As a period film buff most of the period film fun I get (that features Black/African characters)  are biopics. The last period films that have come out that told the stories of Black people were all biopics. Belle Selma 12 Years a Slave Get on Up 42 ets. I have seen people say that they are tired of biopics however this list proves we haven't even scratched the surface. John Coltrane Destiny's Child Paul Robeson Vanessa del Rio  Lorraine Hansberry  Peggielene Bartels Sylvia Robinson Bobby Womack Oscar Micheaux  Nat Turner  Antoinette Tuff Darlene Love  Bob Marley and the Wailers Carlton Pearson Solomon Mahlangu B.M.F. (Black Mafia Family) Shirley Bassey  Pelé  Rafael Padilla  Marvin Gaye  Bessie Smith  Nina Simone  Aretha Franklin  Pam Grier  Hank Aaron  Tupac  Michael Jackson  Mahalia Jackson  ODB  Whitney Houston...

I really enjoyed Mike Epps' performance as Satin in Sparkle! He surprised me because I had only seen him do comedy prior to Sparkle. I believe Mike Epps will give another great performance as Richard Pryor. I also believe he has the look. Something else of note: Epps has already played Pryor in Nina (the Nina Simone travesty biopic) I wonder if that played a role in his being cast in Lee Daniel's production. Either way I have confidence in Epps.