Searchlight Nabs ‘The Defender’, Sterling K. Brown Stars – The Hollywood Reporter
Searchlight Pictures acquired the script rights to Guard, with George Tillman Jr directing and Sterling K. Brown starring as black American defense attorney and activist Scipio Africanus Jones.
The real-life film will portray Africanus Jones, the courageous attorney who, after the Elaine, Arkansas race riots and massacre of 1919, risked his life and career to protect 87 men accused of murder. people in the wrong way. The project, selected after a contest, was written by E. Nicholas Mariani and was shortlisted for the 2018 Black List.
Brown Stars in NBC’s This is us TV series and recent productions of independent films Horn for Jesus, save your soul. Tillman Jr. producer and director The hate you give for Fox 2000 Pictures, based on the novel by Angela Thomas.
Brown will produce with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps, while Mariani and Danielle Reardon will executive produce with Dantram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas. Richard Ruiz will oversee Searchlight.
21 Laps is currently hitting the Disney box office Free boy in theaters, has grossed over $325 million worldwide. Ben Wilkinson, director of business affairs, negotiated the deal for Searchlight Pictures along with WME and CAA action for filmmakers.
Tillman Jr. represented by the CAA. Brown is represented by JWS Entertainment and the CAA.
