‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ Star Hakeem Kae-Kazim to Make Directorial Debut With ‘It’s the Blackness’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

K.J. Yossman “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” star Hakeem Kae-Kazim is set to make his directorial debut with upcoming feature “It’s the Blackness.”Written by newcomer Dapo Oshiyemi, “It’s the Blackness” tells the story of two ambitious graduates from an elite university who must navigate institutional and structural racism as they look to build their careers in modern Britain while at the same time still making space in their lives for love and family.The film, which is currently in pre-production, is set in South London.

Shooting is set to start in London in March/April.“I breathe this world, I grew up in it, It’s about my community, my family and not just about the struggles we face but the culture, family dynamics and love and happiness we experience, which is rarely seen on the big screen,” Kae-Kazim said in a statement.

Casting for “It’s the Blackness” is yet to be announced.Kae-Kazim has appeared in films including “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “King Kong v Godzilla” as well as numerous series such as “Black Sails,” “Troy: Fall of a City,” in which he played the god Zeus, the “Dynasty” re-boot and “24.” He will next be seen on screen in Starz’s “Dangerous Liaisons,” in which he plays Majordome, alongside Alice Englert, Nicholas Denton and Paloma Faith.“It’s the Blackness” is produced by Oshiyemi’s U.K.-based company Talking Drum Entertainment, which focuses on developing and making Black film and TV content for a global audience and distributing it across the U.K.