Kay Oyegun: Last News

On The Come Up, directed by actress turned director Sanaa Lathan and written by Zora Howard (Premature) and Kay Oyegun is based on the book by acclaimed author Angie Thomas (The Hate You Give). The film explores the many facets of Black girlhood through hip-hop music and the general music industry. On The Come Up book is 464 pages, and the movie tries to cram all that information in two hours which sometimes overshadows the messaging, but what works is that it speaks to a demographic that is often ignored and the culture of rap that is seldom explored from a woman’s perspective.

EXCLUSIVE: Mike Gauyo (Insecure, Ginny & Georgia, Send Help) and screenwriter talent-discovery platform Coverfly has partnered with the Black Boy Writes Media banner for the fourth year of the Black Boy Writes & Black Girl Writes Mentorship Initiative. The initiative, which launched at the start of 2021, is dedicated to supplying industry access and resources to pre-WGA Black screenwriters. 

EXCLUSIVE: The Black List and Google today revealed the four writers who were selected as the inaugural Black List x YouTube Originals Black Voices Creator Fellows. The recipients are Beverly Chukwu, Shannon Hawkins, Brandon Hines, and Duchant Johnson. More information about the Fellows is below.

Angelique Jackson Thanks to a successful launch at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sanaa Lathan-directed movie “On the Come Up” has nabbed a day-and-date theatrical release from Paramount. Initially set to launch exclusively on Paramount+ on Friday, Sept. 23, the studio announced Monday that the film will now also be released in limited theaters across the top 50 market. The movie marks the feature directorial debut from Lathan, who pulls double duty on the project, co-starring in the film as Jayda “Jay” Jackson, mother to the story’s central character Bri (newcomer Jamila C. Gray, who Lathan hand-picked out of more than 200 audition tapes).

EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and the Sundance Institute today named Mayanna Berrin (Power Dynamics), Kiana Butler Jabangwe (Night Off) and Danielle Solomon (Hey Boo) as the recipients of this year’s Women Write Now comedic screenwriting fellowship, designed to elevate the next generation of Black women in comedy.

EXCLUSIVE: Demetrius Grosse, coming off playing one of the leads in ABC’s untitled Kay Oyegun drama pilot, has been cast by the network as a lead opposite Neve Campbell in another drama project, Avalon. The series, based on Michael Connelly’s short story, comes from David E. Kelley, A+E Studios and 20th Television.

Paramount+ has released the trailer for their upcoming original film On the Come Up during the 2022 MTV VMAs.

is making a splash! Paramount+ dropped the official trailer for its upcoming coming-of-age movie during Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, which marks the feature directorial debut of Sanaa Lathan.The film, based on the best-selling Angie Thomas novel of the same name, follows the story of Bri (newcomer Jamila C. Gray), a 16-year-old gifted rapper, who attempts to take the battle rap scene by storm in order to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father — a local hip hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has opted not to pick up the drama pilot “Criminal Nature” to series.This is now the second time the project has been passed over at the broadcast network. A different iteration of the pilot with a different creative team — which included Kevin Costner as co-writer — was in the works at ABC in 2021 before being axed in July.The new version, which had been titled “Criminal Nature,” was part of ABC’s 2022 pilot season slate.

The 6th Annual Black Reel TV Awards were held and it was Quinta Brunson and ABC’s Abbott Elementary that took the most wins with seven in total. Brunson won four awards including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Guest Actress.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe drama series “Will Trent” has officially been ordered at ABC, Variety has learned.The show was originally ordered to pilot at ABC in February as past of the broadcaster’s 2022 pilot season slate. The show will debut at midseason for ABC during the 2022-2023 broadcast season.Based on Karin Slaughter’s “Will Trent” novel series, the show follows Special Agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).

When Deadline ran the Summer Edition of its tradition Pilot Buzz column last week, ABC brass were yet to see some of their off-cycle pilots so information on the status of the five contenders at the network was murky.

Paramount+ has announced that Emmy-nominated Shots Fired actress Sanaa Lathan’s feature directorial debut On the Come Up, from Paramount Pictures’ Players Label, will premiere exclusively on the service in the U.S., Canada and Italy on September 23, expanding into additional international territories later this year. (View the first still from the film, making its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, below.)

Sanaa Lathan’s On the Come Up will be hitting Paramount+ on Friday, September 23 in U.S., Canada, Italy and later in the year in offshore territories.

This Is Us finally completely wrapped, many fans have been left wondering what would be next for the Pearson clan, particularly the beloved Black Pearsons. The story of Randall, wife Beth, and daughters Tess, Annie, and Deja captivated audiences for six seasons, bringing laughs, tears, and opening the doors of discussion on many a hot-button topic among couples and parents alike. For writers Kay Oyegun, Eboni Freeman, and Jon Dorsey, the end of the This is Us era is a bittersweet one.

Kevin Hart’s multi-platform media company HartBeat today announced the return of its screenwriting fellowship and talent development initiative Women Write Now, created to champion the next generation of Black women in comedy through mentorship, advocacy, production and exhibition. The fellowship developed in partnership with the Sundance Institute will support three writers in developing short comedic scripts under the guidance of some of the most influential Black women in comedy.

ABC’s Kay Oyegun drama pilot has found its five therapists. Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever), Johnny Simmons (Girlboss), Rachel Hilson (Winning Time), Demetrius Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead) and Rahnuma Panthaky (NCIS: Los Angeles ) are set as leads opposite previously announced Marsha Stephanie Blake.

Selome Hailu ABC’s untitled drama pilot from “This Is Us” and “Queen Sugar” writer Kay Oyegun has cast Sendhil Ramamurthy, Johnny Simmons, Rachel Hilson, Demitrius Grosse and Rahnuma Panthaky.The pilot follows five therapists at the Mindful Insight Therapy Group in Philadelphia who find unique ways to solve problems in their patients’ lives while grappling with their own. Ellen Roman, the owner of the practice and a brilliant therapist, has her life shockingly turned upside down when she begins working with a sociopathic patient who may hold the key to the disappearance of her sister five years earlier.Ramamurthy will play Amit, a big-hearted and well-respected relationship therapist.

EXCLUSIVE: Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us) is set to star in ABC’s Kay Oyegun drama pilot about a group of therapists in Philadelphia.

Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B has reportedly dropped out of her starring role as an undercover small-time crook in Paramount Pictures comedy Assisted Living one week before production was set to start in New York.The reason behind the Bronx-born 29-year-old's abrupt exit is that she feels 'overextended' with her busy schedule, an insider told Deadline on Thursday.Thembi Banks (Love Life, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Work in Progress) was set to make her feature directorial debut with the $30M budget movie penned by This Is Us writer Kay Oyegun, and they're hoping to regroup later this year. Nevermind! Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B has reportedly dropped out of her starring role as an undercover small-time crook in Paramount Pictures comedy Assisted Living one week before production was set to start in New York (pictured March 2) Too much on her plate: The reason behind the Bronx-born 29-year-old's abrupt exit is that she feels 'overextended' with her busy schedule, an insider told Deadline on ThursdayIn it, Cardi's (born Belcalis Almánzar) character Amber is wrongly accused of a crime and she dons old lady prosthetics to hide out in her grandmother's retirement home.The Cardi Tries star previously confirmed her involvement with Assisted Living on January 14, 2021 by retweeting @hosthetics' post: 'WAP = working at Paramount.' Last year, Cardi portrayed Leysa - a woman who shares history with Vin Diesel's street racer character - in Justin Lin's dismally-reviewed action flick F9, which amassed $726.2M at the global box office.The former stripper also had a small role as Diamond in Lorene Scafaria's 2019 crime dramedy Hustlers, which amassed $157.6M at the box office and scored 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s a busy morning of pilot pickups at ABC.