By Thom Geier on May 17, 2016 @ 4:06 pm
Reginald Hudlin is directing the courtroom drama “Marshall,” which co-stars Josh Gad and Sterling K. Brown
Keesha Sharp is joining her “People v. OJ Simpson” co-star Sterling K. Brown, as well as Chadwick Boseman and Josh Gad, in “Marshall,” a biopic about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
Reginald Hudlin will direct from a script by attorney Michael Koskoff and his son Jacob Koskoff. Hero Films is financing the project, which Paula Wagner is producing under her Chestnut Ridge Productions banner.
Before he reprises his “Captain America: Civil War” role of Black Panther, Boseman will play another hero — young lawyer Thurgood Marshall, who’s tasked with defending an African American man (Brown) accused of the rape and attempted murder of a wealthy white woman in Connecticut.
Marshall’s career-defining case, which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement, is set against a backdrop of Northern racism and anti-Semitism as the U.S. prepares to enter World War II.
Sharp will play Marshall’s wife, Buster.
The film, which boasts the support of Marshall’s family, will start production this month in Buffalo, New York.
Sharp recently parlayed her turn as Johnnie Cochran’s supportive wife in FX’s acclaimed miniseries “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” into a regular role as Damon Wayans’ wife on Fox’s new “Lethal Weapon” TV series. She’s represented by Abrams Artist Agency and Genesis Entertainment.
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by Roger Friedman – May 13, 2016 9:14 pm
EXCLUSIVE That movie about a young Thurgood Marshall helping in the defense of a wrongly accused black man of rape in 1940? “Marshall” already features Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, and James Cromwell.
But now I can tell you I’ve heard two more names added to director Reginald Hudlin’s cast: Kate Hudson and Dan Stevens, the former Matthew Crawley of Downton Abbey fame.
I thought I’d have a personal inside route to this film because Gad is playing my own real life great uncle Samuel Friedman when he was in his late thirties. Alas, this film is like any other– getting casting scoops is actually harder than ever!
I’m excited that Hudson, who has an Oscar nomination from “Almost Famous” in 2000, finally has a substantial role. She’s an excellent actress. This could be a big deal for her. Stevens has also looked for a major part since leaving “Downton Abbey.”
Paula Wagner is producing, and I’m told a pair of brothers– Hunter Ryan and David Ryan– have joined the team as producers.
The story is true– a wealthy socialite named Eleanor Strubing (Hudson) accused her black chauffeur Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown) of rape. Sam Friedman (Gad) took the case to defend Spell. The NAACP sent a young Thurgood Marshall (Boseman) to help with the case. Stevens will play the prosecutor.
You can read about the case here. Filming begins next month in Buffalo, New York.
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by Erik Pedersen, May 4, 2016 5:53pm
EXCLUSIVE: The actor who played prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s The People v O.J. Simpson now is going to play a high-profile defendant. Sterling K. Brown has been cast in Marshall, director Reginald Hudlin’s biopic starring Chadwick Boseman as former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Brown will play Joseph Spell, an itinerant worker newly relocated from Louisiana to Connecticut, where he is accused of the rape and attempted murder of a wealthy Greenwich socialite. The sensational 1941 trial brought a young Marshall, counsel for a struggling NAACP, to Bridgeport, CT, where he teamed with young Jewish lawyer Sam Friedman (Josh Gad) to defend Spell. The trial is set against a background of Northern racism and anti-Semitism.
Along with his starring role in The People v O.J. Simpson, Brown recently wrapped the M. Night Shyamalan thriller Split and co-stars in 36, Dan Fogelman’s off-cycle dramedy pilot for NBC that continues to be featured high on the list of series hopefuls. Repped by Innovative Artists and JWS Entertainment, he also is starring in Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which runs through May 15 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Marshall is being financed by Super Hero Films with Paula Wagner producing through her Chestnut Ridge Productions. Production kicks off this month in Buffalo, NY.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/filming-of-marshall-brings-a-benefit-to-buffalo-landmark/213932496
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May 12, 2016, 11:05am EDT, James Fink, Reporter, Buffalo Business First
Actor Chadwick Boseman isn’t in town yet, but key pre-production crews for “Marshall” have arrived and are prepping for an extensive filming period in Buffalo and other locales.
Filming for “Marshall” is scheduled to begin in earnest around May 23, said Tim Clark, Buffalo Niagara Film Commission executive director, with many of the scenes centered in and around the now-vacant Michael Dillon Courthouse in downtown Buffalo.
The vacant Michael J. Dillon Federal Courthouse will have a role in a film about Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court justice.
Officials peg the economic impact from the movie about Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall to be “north of $5 million.”
“The economic impact will be better than the ‘Turtles,’” Clark said.
Last year, portions of the Kensington Expressway were used as the backdrop for a chase scene the upcoming “Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles” film — due to be released next month. That three-week production left behind a $3 million local economic impact.
Many of the more than 400 crew and extras will be from the immediate Buffalo Niagara region.
“Marshall” tells the early legal career days of Marshall. The movie focuses on Marshall’s career as a young attorney before he was named to the Supreme Court in 1967.
The script centers on Marshall defending a black chauffeur who was accused of sexually assaulting his wealthy socialite employer. The case generated tabloid fodder.
Buffalo was selected, thanks tax credits offered by New York state, an aggressive pitch made by Clark and some additional lobbying from Sen. Charles Schumer. The region’s deep supply of early 20th century architecture was another key factor.
Boseman, whose acting credits include “Draft Day,” “Get on Up,” and “42” stars in the movie. Noted Hollywood director Reginald Hudin, whose resume includes “Django Unchained” and “Boomerang”, is already in Buffalo working with pre-production crews.
Besides the Dillon Courthouse, scenes are expected to be shot elsewhere in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Batavia.
And, because the movie is set in the 1930s, expect to see a lot of period cars, actors in clothes from that era and, even, street lights and highway signs that reflect that decade.
“It is going to be quite the spectacle,” Clark said. “Everything, even the most minute details, will be true to form.”
Clark said there may be some minor street closures during certain filming periods but the crews are
“Everyone wants it to be as least disruptive as possible,” Clark said.
Clark said he hopes to use “Marshall” as a marketing tool to lure other major movie productions to the region.
“We are building up a resume,” Clark said.
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