Source: Glen Wilson / Warner Bros. Pictures
Fred Hampton remains one of the most prominent figures of the Black Panther Party, and he will be portrayed in an upcoming film. Ugandan-British actor Daniel Kaluuya will star as the late activist in an upcoming film, Judas and the Black Messiah.
In a new trailer for the Shaka King-directed Judas and the Black Messiah, Kaluuya stars as Hampton, who was rising as a bold voice for Black revolution in the late 1960s as the deputy chairman of the Black Panthers’ national body. Tragically, Hampton was murdered in cold blood as he slept by Chicago police in December 1969 at age 21, leaving behind a young son who would grow up to follow his father’s footsteps, and also served as a consultant on the film.
Joining Kaluuya is his Get Out co-stars LaKeith Stanfield as William O’Neal and Lil Rel Howery in the role of Brian. Moonlight star Ashton Sanders also joins the cast as Larry Roberson and Martin Sheen will star as the villainous and hyper-paranoid FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, who launched the insidious COINTELPRO program to disrupt the rise of Black liberation groups across the nation.
Warner Bros. and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler are producers of the film, which is slated for a 2021 release. Despite the uncertainty of movie theatres reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the filmmakers are insisting this film will not be a direct-to-streaming-services release and will see a proper rollout. The original release date was August 21 of this year after wrapping production in December of 2019.
Check out the trailer for Judas and the Black Messiah below.
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Photo: Warner Bros Pictures
