From his humble beginnings as the ebullient Posh Kenneth on Skins, Daniel Kaluuya has become a complete powerhouse performer – from Get Out, to Widows to Queen And Slim, he’s made all the right moves and put in stellar turns in very special projects. His latest looks no different – in Judas And The Black Messiah, he plays Fred Hampton, the Chairman of the Black Panther party who (historical spoiler warning) was assassinated at the age of 21 by the FBI. The film tracks the plot to silence him, with the feds roping in petty criminal William O’Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield, another one prone to knocking it out of the park) to inform on Hampton – hence that title, Judas And The Black Messiah. Watch the powerful first trailer here.
This one looks very special, and sure to be a must-watch – with a 50-plus year old story that feels as relevant as ever in the light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests after the killing of George Floyd. Beyond Kaluuya and Stanfield, the film also stars Jesse Plemons, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sheen, and rising star Dominique Fishback – soon to be seen in Netflix’s superpower story Project Power. It marks the studio feature directorial debut of Shaka King – who’s previously helmed episodes of High Maintenance and Shrill – who co-wrote the screenplay along with Will Berson. Ryan Coogler is on board as producer.
Release details for the film are currently unknown – though with a trailer now in the wild, expect it to arrive in the coming months, whether that’s on the big screen (fingers crossed) or through an alternative release platform.