Antoine Fuqua: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: 2x Academy Award nominee Mary J. Blige (Mudbound) is set to star alongside Tulsa King‘s Jay Will in the upcoming drama Rob Peace. Through her banner Blue Butterfly, she’ll also exec produce the pic, written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, which is now in production.

EXCLUSIVE: Steven Ogg, notably recognized for his roles on The Walking Dead and Westworld, has signed with Buchwald for representation.

With a long and varied career under his belt, Jake Gyllenhaal has earned the right to develop whatever projects he wants — and it looks like he wants to work with every A-list action director he can get his hands on. With recent collaborations with Antoine Fuqua (“The Guilty“) and Michael Bay (“Ambulance“), as well as his upcoming remake of “Road House” with director Doug Liman,” Gyllenhaal is well on his way to building an impressive mid-career action resume.

The Terminal List is continuing — and becoming a franchise for Amazon Studios. I have learned that Prime Video has finalized a Season 2 renewal for the hit series starring and executive produced by Chris Pratt and also has picked up an untitled prequel/Ben Edwards origin series headlined and executive produced by Taylor Kitsch, from The Terminal List creator/executive producer David DiGilio.

Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson is set to play the King of Pop in an upcoming biopic called Michael, according to Deadline.Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael and a member of The Jackson 5.The 26-year-old has been singing and dancing since the age of 12, following the footsteps of his famous family.Michael died in 2009 at age 50, due to a cocktail of sedatives leading to a cardiac arrest. The biopic, which will be directed by Antoine Fuqua for Lionsgate, will be produced by GK Films and also John Branca and John McClain, who are co-executors of Michael Jackson's estate. Jaafar shared his gratitude at getting the role via his Twitter account, along with a black and white photo of himself dressed like his famous late uncle.  Keeping it in the family: Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson is set to play the King of Pop in an upcoming biopic, according to Deadline  Iconic: Jaafar shared his gratitude at getting the role via his Twitter account, along with a black and white photo of himself dressed like his famous late uncleJaafar wrote: 'I'm humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael's story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I'll see you soon.'In the image, Jaafar was wearing an iconic Michael look- striped pants with a white T-shirt and jacket, hat, and shoes in his signature pose.  Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza.Earlier this month, Antoine was announced as director to Lionsgate's upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which has been approved by the deceased pop star's estate.

It appears the question of who would land the lead role in Antoine Fuqua’s recently announced Michael Jackson biopic, simply titled “Michael,” isn’t a mystery anymore. Not only that, the filmmaker didn’t have to look too far to find his star, as Michael Jackson’s nephew landed the job.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Jackson will be played by the late icon’s 26-year old nephew Jaafar Jackson in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film biopic for Lionsgate. Fuqua just posted a confirmation on Instagram. The singer and songwriter is the son of Jermaine Jackson, who is the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5. Jaafar has been singing and dancing since age 12, and has showcased himself singing tunes from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye, along with originals.

EXCLUSIVE: Tulsa King‘s Jay Will has landed the title role in Rob Peace — the second feature from Academy Award-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, on the heels of the Netflix-acquired The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which he’s directing from his own script.

Apple has confirmed Deadline’s scoop on winning an all-night bidding battle for the John Carney-directed Flora and Son, as Apple’s Heads of Worldwide Video Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht and their head of features Matt Dentler burned the midnight oil to make the label’s biggest Sundance Film Festival deal since they acquired CODA in 2021. That film went on to establish Apple as the first streamer to win the Best Picture Oscar, with the film also winning Best Adapted Screenplay for director Sian Heder and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur.

Antoine Fuqua has been tapped to direct Lionsgate's upcoming  Michael Jackson biopic, which has been approved by the deceased pop star's estate.The 56-year-old filmmaker, best known for directing The Equalizer film franchise and Training Day, will be working alongside Oscar-winning producer Graham King on the film, titled Michael.'The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,' the director said in a statement.  Thrilling news: Antoine Fuqua has been tapped to direct Lionsgate's upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which has been approved by the deceased pop star's estate; seen in 2019He continued: 'For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV.'  'His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible,' Fuqua raved.Last February, Deadline reported Lionsgate had picked up distribution rights for the film, which was written by Gladiator writer John Logan.

You know it was bound to happen, as nearly every major musical artist of the past 50 years gets a biopic at some point, but it appears that Michael Jackson is next up to get the big-screen treatment. But maybe more interesting than the fact that Jackson’s life and career will be highlighted in a new film is the fact that acclaimed filmmaker Antoine Fuqua is on board to direct.

EXCLUSIVE: Antoine Fuqua is set to direct Michael, a Lionsgate drama with script by telling the complex life story of the iconic singer Michael Jackson. A script is in by John Logan, and the film will be produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Best Picture nominated Bohemian Rhapsody. GK Films will produce alongside co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.

Deadline on Thursday launched its streaming site for Contenders Film LA3C: Conversations With Contenders, the awards-season event that took place Saturday as part of the lineup of the LA3C culture and music festival in downtown Los Angeles.

Following a selective path that led to the first Oscar Best Picture for a streamer in CODA, Apple Original Films’ heads Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht’s 2022 offerings have broken records for the 3+ year old company.   

EXCLUSIVE: Universal and Working Title have set Melissa McCarthy to star in an untitled Christmas-in-New York movie that will be written by Love Actually scribe Richard Curtis and directed by Sam Boyd.

Paramount+ has dropped a new trailer for season 2 of Mayor of Kingstown, which will debut on Sunday, January 15. Starring Jeremy Renner and Dianne Wiest, the series will premiere the following day in the U.K. and Australia.

With all the talk about the diversification of the “new” Hollywood Foreign Press Association, particularly in terms of recruiting Black members to make up for the sheer paucity of them as revealed originally in a now-infamous Los Angeles Times report, it might be one of this morning’s key surprises in the nominations for the 80th Golden Globe Awards, that not a single film with strong Black themes or actors or behind the camera talent was among the Best Picture nominees in either Drama or Comedy/Musical categories. Most egregiously missing in those key categories, as well as directing and writing were hotly awards-buzzed The Woman King, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Till, the latter film completely shut out despite heavy Oscar attention expected for its star Danielle Deadwyler who last week was named Best Lead Performance at the Gothams as well as Best Actress at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema & Television. Will Smith’s return in Emancipation from director Antoine Fuqua also was AWOL, although considering its decidedly mixed critical reception and inherent controversy (although not with the Globes) that isn’t all that surprising to see it snubbed.

Will Smith's comeback movie Emancipation has been sensationally snubbed in the 80th annual Golden Globes nominations - nine months after he infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.The Hollywood star, 54, has embarked on a 'apology tour' in recent weeks as he plugged the movie - but his efforts to start his awards season race proved futile as the historical thriller did not receive a single nod.Emancipation is a historical thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which the Fresh Prince actor stars as an enslaved man named Peter who escapes from a Louisiana plantation and braves treacherous territory and slave hunters to make it up north to Union territory, where he is able to join the fight against the Confederacy.The film was inspired by the life of a former slave immortalised in horrifying photos of his back, which was covered in spiderwebbing keloid scars from repeated whippings. Oh dear: Will Smith's comeback movie Emancipation has been sensationally snubbed in the 80th annual Golden Globes nominations - 10 months after he infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars Smith has been attempting to get his £285million career back on track with the film, but recently said  he 'completely understands' if people are deterred from watching his new film.He said: 'I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready.

Deadline’s signature Contenders event hits downtown Los Angeles on Saturday for a hybrid in-person/virtual edition, partnering with the inaugural LA3C, the cultural festival developed by Deadline parent company PMC.

Partnering with this weekend’s inaugural LA3C developed by Deadline parent company, PMC, Deadline’s signature Contenders event hits Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday December 10 for a live in person/virtual edition and final Contenders -film opportunity before Oscar nomination voting begins. With films not previously highlighted at our previous LA and NY outings this Fall, A Man Called Otto, The Woman King, The Banshees Of Inisherin, Emancipation, and The Pale Blue Eye will be front and center for voters and public along with newly produced visits with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, and Top Gun: Maverick all with talent appearing live at our venue, the J. W. Marriott at LA Live. Also returning to Deadline Contenders will be filmmakers from Till, Thirteen Lives, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

“I didn’t want to make a slavery film about vengeance,” Will Smith told GQ in 2021 to explain his much-lamented decision to turn down the title role in “Django Unchained.” “This was one that was about love,” he continued to explain why he finally felt he could make a film about slavery. After years of avoiding cinematic portrayals of this dark chapter in African-American life, that project is Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation.” READ MORE: ‘Emancipation’: Will Smith “Completely Understands” If People Aren’t Ready To Support Him But Hopes New Film Is Still Embraced The task he set out to achieve is more complicated than it might initially appear.