Hidden Figures Archives - Broadway Black

Pharrell Williams Is Taking Us To Atlantis With Upcoming Musical Bio-Pic

BWYBLK — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 14:53:58 +0000

The day has finally come! Pharrell Williams is making a musical! Fox Studios recently bought the rights to the upcoming film, entitled Atlantis. The movie will tell the story of Pharrell’s upbringing in Virginia Beach and, of course, there will be music! Atlantis will be Williams’ second collaboration with Fox Studios following the 2016 blockbuster Hidden Figures.rnrnThe ten-time Grammy Award-winning artist’s work has spanned several genres of music, including everything from pop to funk to hip-hop and R&B. He has production creds with Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke, Frank Ocean, and we know what Pharrell can do with a soundtrack! Let’s not forgot Despicable Me 2’s “Happy!” How could you, the song was everywhere!rnrnThis coming-of-age musical was inevitable, as far as I’m concerned. Pharrell’s work with Hidden Figures took folks to church, not to mention all the music he gave us in the 90’s with N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes! This upcoming movie will finally give us a musical look into the man.rnrnMartin Hynes will pen the film’s script. So far, we can expect a Romeo & Juliet-inspired illustration of Pharrell’s adolescence. No cast announcements yet, but we know that Pharrell will reunite with Dope co-producer, Mimi Valdés. Spring Awakening’s Michael Mayer will direct the film. The team rallying behind this project is strong; they’ve got Grammy-winning musicians, an Oscar and Tony-winning production team, and dozens of amazing projects! We can’t contain our excitement!rnrnWho do you think will join the film’s cast? Could this bring Janelle Monáe back to the silver screen? What are you looking forward to seeing in Atlantis?

The post Pharrell Williams Is Taking Us To Atlantis With Upcoming Musical Bio-Pic appeared first on Broadway Black.

Oscar-Nominated Film Hidden Figures Eyeing Broadway?

BWYBLK — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 22:09:31 +0000

Rumor has it that our Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures might see the light of Broadway! In an interview with ITN, Janelle Monae, who plays Mary Jackson, let it slip that a Broadway musical might be a possibility. The movie itself hosts a great deal of musical talent from Pharrell to Monae, even Octavia Spencer shows off her beautiful voice. Can you see the possibility?rnrnHidden Figures moved us, it made us laugh, and it inspired our best selves. The story and its subjects were virtually unknown before the movie’s release, but that didn’t stop it from beating out classics like Star Wars and leading the box office at $185 million.rnrnSo, how can we bring this breadth of success to Broadway? It’s all about the team, and I’ve got the perfect one!rnrnKatori Hall writing the book, without a doubt! She has captivated us many times with work like The Mountaintop and Hurt Village. Her brilliance is no secret and she knows how to render any emotion with the clever combination of 26 letters and a whole lot of heart. She’s also showing her musical chops as she leads the anticipated Tina: The Musical to its rumored 2018 Broadway premiere.rnrnTo complement the sass and hilarity that Hall will bring to the table, I offer Pharrell, Brenda Russell and Allee Willis for lyrics and music. Together they have the ingenuity and experience to craft powerful music for a staged adaptation. Pharrell composed the box office hit and Russel and Willis have created the powerful music for The Color Purple alongside Stephen Bray.rnrnNot only can they make you weep, these women know how to make you move. Their individual careers are enough to make me say yes! Earth, Wind and Fire, Patti Labelle and How Stella Got Her Groove Back all said yes to their talents, so I will too!rnrnNow, call me crazy, but I believe Hidden Figures has a lot of potential for dance. Every moment of frenzy and every computation is a moment for movement. So while the movie doesn’t exactly scream “dance break,” it has the makings of a musical that brings energy to the ordinary. And although she’s no ordinary woman, the famous Debbie Allen is definitely the choreographer for the job. Her time in Hollywood has left her with dozens of credits from playing Anita in West Side Story to choreographing The Academy Awards six years in a row! Ms. Allen has the depth, experience, and vision to insert dance into this powerful story.rnrnFinally, who should be our fearless director? Not only does Hidden Figures boast a passionate script, but it’s accompanied by fantastic visuals. Who can turn a Broadway stage into NASA’s campus and recreate Katherine Johnson’s iconic cross-campus bathroom trek? Who can take us to the edge of the Earth as John Glenn makes his descent?rnrnLadies and gentleman, I give you Kenny Leon. We’ve always known Leon to be a great director, he’s directed classics like Aida and Radio Golf, and even Katori Halls’ The Mountaintop. But it’s not Kenny’s history that makes him the obvious choice, it’s his future. Leon has incredible foresight and is a master at communicating with audiences. Furthermore, he brings the best out in actors and he works tirelessly to deliver truth and diversity to Broadway audiences. Under Leon’s direction, the theatre community will praise the names of Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan, like they should’ve in 1962.rnrnSo there’s that, I’ve given you the perfect creative team! Now I’ll give you some homework. Who would you cast to portray our Hidden Figures? Should the show honor the movie’s message with fresh new faces, or do you think your Broadway favorites are up for the task! Comment below with your Hidden Figures dream cast!rnrnSave

The post Oscar-Nominated Film Hidden Figures Eyeing Broadway? appeared first on Broadway Black.

Broadway Black Stars Shine In 89th Academy Award Nominations

Jazmine Harper-Davis — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 14:15:36 +0000

There’s always a silver lining, right? After this whirlwind of the past few days with the Inauguration of an unqualified reality star to lead our country, millions of women marching around the world for equal rights, white people making up a new name for lying (“alternative facts”), the Academy Award nominations brightened things up a bit.rnrnAnnounced last Tuesday, we were so pleased to see many of our Broadway Black favorites make the list this year, some even making history.rnrnMoonlight managed to rack up a total of eight nominations including: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (Tarell Alvin McCraney & Barry Jenkins), Best Director (Barry Jenkins), Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), Best Supporting Actress (Naomie Harris), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing.rnrnThe acclaimed film adaptation of Fences garnered a Best Picture nomination along with Best Actor in a Leading Role (Denzel Washington), Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis), Best Adapted Screenplay (August Wilson).rnrnHidden Figures scored three nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer). Someone must have forgotten to include Taraji P. Henson’s name on the ballots.rnrnrnrnRuth Negga received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her nuanced and remarkable performance in Loving.rnrnAnother breakthrough for African-American filmmakers was the documentary category with four of the five nominations going to directors of African descent (13^th, I Am Not Your Negro, Life, Animated & OJ Made In America).rnrnWhile Hollywood will quickly pat themselves on the back and try to say this isn’t a repeat of #OscarsSoWhite, the work is far from over. So, you nominated seven actors of color (including Lion’s Dev Patel) out of a possible 20 nominees? Good for you, Hollywood. You go, Glenn Coco.rnrnThis so-called “drought,” as Deadline wrote, is far from over. There shouldn’t be any reason Halle Berry is still the last — and only — Black actress to have won in the lead actress category. Viola Davis shouldn’t have to campaign for Best Supporting Actress to increase her odds of winning when Best Actress should definitely be hers — she has a Tony for Best Leading Actress for the same role.rnrnrn

Image: David Lee/Paramount Pictures/REX/Shutterstock

rnBarry Jenkins is only the fourth Black director to get the esteemed Best Director nomination in the category’s history and, for the first time ever, three films with majority Black casts have been nominated for Best Picture.rnrnThis also marks the first time three Black writers received nominations for Adapted Screenplay, including the late August Wilson, in the same year. His posthumous nomination is enough to bring tears to my eyes.rnrnIt’s 2017. And while Hollywood wants to say “the drought is over” when we’re just breaking the mold in 2017, we still have such a long way to go.rnrnAfter the backlash of only 20 white actors in performance categories two years in a row, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took action to help increase the diversity of its governing board and voting members.rnrnWatch The Oscars LIVE! to see Viola Davis earn her O, snatch a wig or two, and make her way to EGOT status, Sunday, February 26, 7 PM EST/4 PM PST, only on ABC.rnrnSavernrnSavernrnSavernrnSave

The post Broadway Black Stars Shine In 89th Academy Award Nominations appeared first on Broadway Black.