Chadwick Boseman has portrayed some of the greatest historical black figures, from Jackie Robinson to James Brown, and now he’s set to portray Thurgood Marshall in a new Reginald Hudlin film.
Hudlin’s Marshall, described as a courtroom thriller, focuses on a case early in the career of the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court.
The film’s synopsis states, “As the nation teeters on the brink of WWII, a nearly bankrupt NAACP sends Marshall to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high-profile victory, but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial, which helped set the groundwork for the civil rights movement to come.”
Hudlin spoke highly of Marshall, saying that he was “a man who took his life in his hands every time he came to a town to bring justice. Marshall was a cowboy who used his law books as guns. He was the smartest guy in the room of any room he was in. But he wasn’t a punk and didn’t hesitate to throw a punch if the occasion called for it.”
The film has already begun shooting in Los Angeles, but a release date has not been scheduled yet.