Judas and The Black Messiah

I want to give a HUGE shoutout to comedian Tony Baker for reposting the clip below on his Instagram which is where I just saw this first look at Judas and The Black Messiah.

I want to go back for a second. Years ago at my alma mater of Virginia Commonwealth University, I met Bobby Seale, who was one of the founding members of The Black Panther Party. He told a vast audience of college students, professors and the like about their revolutionary leadership in the black community. It came with both victories and pain. The Ryan Coogler produced and Shaka King directed Judas and The Black Messiah is one of those stories.

Much like Malcom X, everyone around such a powerful leader isn’t always who they seem. A common man who the stirs a crowd and starts to influence those that would easily be kept “in their place” by higher ups is now a threat to order. This is the case on the murder of Fred Hampton. Watch the powerful trailer below.

I feel like this is one of those movies I will watch once, cry and then never watch again. The story centers around Fred Hampton and William O’Neal, an informat who worked with the FBI to take the Black Panthers down–by any means necessary. This is a story that we need right now and it also a story that only some of us know.

The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, who has had a phenomenal run since we’ve been introduced to him, Lakeith Stanfield, everyone’s favorite weird dude, Martin Sheen, Algee Smith, Lil Rel and more.

There is no release date that I can find and PLEASE do not start that argument about British actors playing African American heroes. Just don’t.