With the start of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” production this month, Ryan Coogler is seemingly a busy man already. However, he’s still finding time to lend his producing abilities to a new film with the director of “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

READ MORE: ‘Loki’ Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw Seemingly Working On ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

According to Variety, Ryan Coogler is teaming up with director Shaka King, producer Charles D.

Continue reading Ryan Coogler Reteaming With Director Shaka King For An American Political Insurrection Film Starring Lil Rel Howery at The Playlist.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to filmmaker Sam Pollard about his new HBO art documentary “Black Art: In The Absence of Light,” but I also couldn’t resist asking about his critically-acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. documentary, “MLK/FBI,” which centers on the way the civil rights leaders like King are often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state (yes, he released two docs in 2021, a month apart, Pollard is having a moment).

Continue reading Directors Shaka King & Sam Pollard Discuss ‘MLK/FBI,’ ‘Judas & The Black Messiah’ & FBI Hostility Towards Black Civil Rights Leaders [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” has arrived at something of a cultural tipping point for Hollywood. Months before the tragedy of George Floyd‘s death or the millions of people marching in the streets for social justice, his period piece about the assassination of a prominent Chicago community leader, Fred Hampton, had wrapped production. So, had Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and Lee Daniels’ “The United States vs.

Continue reading Shaka King On ‘Judas and The Black Messiah’ & The Current Social Justice Movie Zeitgeist [Interview] at The Playlist.

Martyrs demark the African-American experience. The documented lineage began with Emmett Till’s murder, his ravaged visage strewn across Jet Magazine’s issues, and continued through Medgar Evers’ assassinations, the four girls in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and a cruel, etc. Fred Hampton, the gifted Chairman of Chicago’s Black Panther chapter, occupies a space in this timeline. Located just after Malcolm but before the ceaseless stream, we see today.  

READ MORE: 25 Most Anticipated 2021 Sundance Film Festival Premieres

Hampton only lived until twenty-one.

Continue reading ‘Judas And The Black Messiah’: Daniel Kaluuya Is Electric In Flawed Hampton Biopic [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

The Sundance Film Festival announced two additional world premieres for its 2021 edition including one highly anticipated awards contender. Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” and Ali El Arabi‘s documentary “Captains of Zaatari” will increase Sundance’s slate to 73 films representing 30 nations and 39 first-time filmmakers. A Warner Bros. release, “Messiah” becomes the second studio world premiere hoping for Oscar attention from festival-goers following Robin Wright’s “Land,” from Focus Features.

Continue reading ‘Judas And The Black Messiah’ To Premiere At The Sundance Film Festival at The Playlist.

We have yet to see “Judas and the Black Messiah,” but there’s some serious awards buzz surrounding the upcoming film from co-writer/director Shaka King. And much of that early acclaim seems to stem from the incredible cast the filmmaker was able to bring together, led by Daniel Kaluuya in the role of Fred Hampton, a real-life activist and political leader within the Black Panther organization during the ‘60s.

Continue reading Daniel Kaluuya Comments On Blowback Received From ‘Judas & The Black Messiah’ Casting at The Playlist.

“Judas and the Black Messiah,” tell the story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal.

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2020… So Far

It is only the second feature for director Shaka King after 2013’s “Newlyweeds.” He wrote the screenplay alongside Will Berson, with input from Kenny and Keith Lucas (“22 Jump Street”).

Continue reading ‘Judas & The Black Messiah’ Trailer: LaKeith Stanfield Helps Silence Daniel Kaluuya In True Story Of Captivating Civil Rights Voice at The Playlist.

After his breakout role in “Moonlight,” Ashton Sanders has quickly become one of the best up-and-coming acting talents in Hollywood. And it appears that he’s caught the eye of “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, who wants the young actor for the upcoming film, “Jesus Was My Homeboy.”

According to Deadline, Sanders has joined the growing cast of ‘Jesus,’ starring alongside Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in the drama.

Continue reading Ashton Sanders Joins Daniel Kaluuya & Lakeith Stanfield In The Ryan Coogler-Produced Film ‘Jesus Was My Homeboy’ at The Playlist.