By Jodi Guglielmi, People
When Academy Awards co-producer Reginald Hudlin first read the script for the upcoming biopic Marshall, based on Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, he jumped at the opportunity to sign on as director.
“I’ve always been a huge Thurgood Marshall fan,” Hudlin, 54, tells PEOPLE of his decision to direct the film. “He is a man who made America fulfill its promise of being a great nation. He’s one of our country’s greatest heroes because he’s a fighter for justice – it’s an important story to tell.”
The late Marshall was the first African-American judge to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. And while he may be best known as the lawyer who fought for racial equality and found victory in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, Hudlin says that’s not the part of Marshall’s life the film focuses on.
“This script popped out to me because it wasn’t the story that we’ve heard before,” explains Hudlin.
Marshall focuses on an important case in the Supreme Court justice’s early career. In the film, Marshall defends a black chauffeur accused of sexual assault and attempted murder by his wealthy employer. Marshall is teamed up with a Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case before, and together, they fight for justice in a trail that would later help lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement.
Hudlin says the film’s message is more relevant than ever today.
“Our country is going through a lot of transition. There is a lot of debate over American values,” he says. “The suspect [in the film] is not a perfect citizen. He is a guy with a checkered past – but that doesn’t mean that you committed the crime. People today want to take shortcuts. But Thurgood Marshall worked his entire life to prove that there is no shortcut to justice.”
Chadwick Boseman (Captain America: Civil War) will star as the respected Supreme Court justice.
Marshall isn’t the only historical figure Boseman has portrayed on-screen. He also played Jackie Robinson in the film 42 in 2013, and James Brown in 2014’s Get on Up. It was Boseman’s experience playing such legends that made him an easy choice for Hudlin to cast.
“He’s such a chameleon and can do so much as an actor,” says Hudlin. “But Thurgood is still a kind of character that he has never had the opportunity to play. We talked a lot about who Thurgood is as a person.”
“I’m excited to see where he goes with it,” Hudlin adds.
Marshall begins production in Los Angeles next week.
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by Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter
The director-producer, who is co-producing the upcoming Academy Awards, will be honored at the 7th AAFCA Awards.
The African American Film Critics Association will honor veteran film and television director Reginald Hudlin at the 7th AAFCA Awards, which are set to take place Feb. 10 at the Tagylan complex in Hollywood.
Hudlin, the former president of the BET network, will receive the AAFCA’s inaugural “Salute to Excellence Award” for his decades-spanning work on such projects as House Party and Boomerang.
He was nominated for an Oscar for producing 2012’s Django Unchained, and this year he will return to the ceremony as the co-producer of the upcoming 88th Academy Awards broadcast.
“AAFCA selected Reggie as the first recipient of the ‘Salute to Excellence Award’ because of his track record of excellence in the entertainment industry,” says AAFCA president Gil Robertson. “As a creative force, he continues to provide a great example of advancement for the current and next generation of African-Americans in the entertainment community.”
The association also announced that Entertainment Tonight correspondent Nischelle Turner will make her second appearance as the award show’s host.
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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences kicks off the Hollywood Award season with the Governor’s Awards, where they give honorary Oscars to legendary and overlooked talent. I produced the show last year, and as one of the producers of the Oscars this year, I had to attend. Not that it was a chore! It’s a fun night and made even nicer since my friend Julie Lynn was doing the show this year.
Me and Academy President Dawn Hudson. She’s originally from Hot Springs Arkansas, just like my dad! We’ve come a long way, baby!
Will Smith photobombs our picture. A superstar in every medium, and one of the nicest guys in the industry.
Ted Sarandos of Netflix, also one of the nicest guys in town.
My wife and I enjoying the evening, as Gena Rowlands looks over us all.
Me and Danny Boyle, an amazing director.
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Anthony Anderson To Host NAACP Image Awards Through 2017
by Denise Petski, Deadline December 1, 2015
Anthony Anderson will be hosting the NAACP Image Awards for two more years. The Black-ish star and executive producer has signed a deal to continue as host for the 47th and 48th NAACP Image Awards.
The 47th NAACP Image Awards will be nationally telecast live on TV One on Friday, February 5, 2016 as a two-hour special from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. It will be preceded by a one-hour live pre-show from the red carpet.
Anderson has won an NAACP Image Award, and has earned Emmy and People’s Choice award noms for his role as Dre on ABC’s Black-ish, a family man that struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood. Anderson’s many film credits include Transformers, The Departed, and he will next be seen in Barbershop 3.
As previously announced, Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin have signed a three-year deal to continue as executive producers for the NAACP Image Awards.
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