Shhh, don’t tell Terry Crews, but I think a Black supremacist comic just got acquired by a major movie studio.
Seriously, according to Deadline, Warner Bros. will be adapting a feature film based on Black, a comic written and created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3. Here’s the kicker—the comic is set in “a universe where only Black people have superpowers beyond what the world believes is possible.” Osajyefo and Smith 3 will also serve as producers on the film.
Sounds like Black supremacy to me!! I’m intrigued...tell me more!
Actually, Deadline does tell us more:
Bryan Edward Hill, who is a producer on DC’s Titans, wrote the script. The story centers on one young man who survives a violent event and realizes that he is part of these extraordinary people, but a secret consortium wants to control these abilities and those who possess them, and he soon finds himself at the center of a war over the future of mankind itself.
“Part of the inspiration for Black came from my experiencing the lack of representation in comics publishing and how that directly relates to the scarceness of black characters,” Osajyefo, who came up with the concept for the comic over a decade ago, said in a statement. “For most of comics’ history, white outcasts have been used as allegories for marginalized groups while claiming to reflect the world outside our window. Black strips away this veneer to juxtapose superpowers with race while allowing black people to see ourselves authentically in media and inviting wider audiences into parts of our experience. We’re excited to bring this story to everyone through film, and thankful to Studio 8 for believing in it.”
There’s no director attached yet, but this would be a super huge opportunity for an up-and-comer. If we’re thinking existing directors, maybe Ryan Coogler (assuming he could be pulled away from his Marvel obligations), F. Gary Gray, Gina Prince Bythewood, Ava DuVernay or Dee Rees would be dope. We’ll see!