Lena Waithe Tabs Daniel Kaluuya To Star In New Movie, ‘Queen & Slim’
Get Out and Black Panther actor Daniel Kaluuya has been tabbed to take the lead role of Slim, in an upcoming film, Queen & Slim, a romance drama written by Emmy award-winning writer Lena Waithe.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the script is being described as the black version of Bonnie and Clyde’s love story. The film will focus on a black couple out and about enjoying their first date together when things take a turn for the worse. The couple ends up killing a police officer in self-defense and have no other option but to head to Cuba.
“Queen & Slim is an exploration of America’s social and political climate through the lens of a genre-defying love story,” according to Variety.
The movie is said to be based on an idea and treatment from best-selling author James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) and story created by Waithe and Frey. Melina Matsoukas is also set to join the star-studded team as director, making this her directorial debut for a featured film. Matsoukas is known for her work on HBO’s Insecure and has directed a number of music videos, including Beyonce’s “Formation.”
Waithe posted the news to her Instagram account with the caption, “Me, my sis @msmelina, and my brother @danielkaluuya are so excited to bring this movie to the big screen. It’s the blackest thing I’ve ever written. I hope y’all love it. #QueenAndSlim.”
Reports say that the movie’s production will take place through Waithe’s company, Hillman Grad Productions, along with Matsoukas’ production company, De La Revolución Films, and Frey’s 3BlackDot.
“To me, this is protest art,” Waithe told Variety. “It’s about being black and trying to fall in love in a world that’s burning down around you.”
Matsoukas also shared her thoughts.
“It’s a film that defines Black love as a revolutionary act,” she told Deadline. “It shows that our union is the greatest weapon against the assault on Black people in America.”
The buzz surrounding the film has caused quite the bidding war, but in the end, Brad Weston’s Makeready managed to secure a deal to financially back the project.
As for the role of Queen, Matsoukas and Waithe are still searching for a fresh face.
Queen & Slim will go into pre-production in October, production will begin in January, and the movie has been scheduled for a release date of November 27, 2019.
Last year, Lena Waithe made Emmy history when she became the first black woman to win for comedy writing. She won for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None. Since then, Waithe brought The Chi to life, a Showtime series about her own coming of age story in Chicago.
