Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Wins Rights To Ron Stallworth Memoir ‘From BlacKkKlansman To Hip Hop Cop’; Kevin Willmott To Adapt

Anthony D'Alessandro
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Hyde Park Entertainment Group has won rights to the latest memoir by BlacKkKlansman author Ron Stallworth, From BlackKklansman to Hip Hop Cop, a project which will see that work back in the hands of scribe Kevin Willmott, who won an Oscar for adapting the author’s BlacKkKlansman.

BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee, alsowas based on Stallworth’s life.

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From BlacKkKlansman to Hip Hop Cop continues Stallworth’s stranger-than-fiction true story as he goes undercover for the Salt Lake City Police Department, the only Black officer on the white Mormon force, to investigate the root cause of rising gang violence and a brand-new craze threatening local parents and taking their kids by storm: gangster rap. Over the course of one year in 1990-91, he navigates bias and bloodshed as he tries to bridge the gap in this culture war while also trying to catch Utah’s biggest criminal kingpin, with ramifications spanning across America. The project’s music will be filled with ’90s classic hip hop with singles from 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, N.W.A and Ice-T.

“My new manuscript, From BlacKkKlans to Hip Hop Cop, reflects my continuing journey to right the wrongs in law enforcement and its relationship with the minority community,” Stallworth said.

“Speaking truth to power, I address the issues of South Central Los Angeles transposed on predominantly white, conservative, Mormon Utah. How did a Black cop successfully wage this battle, and what obstructions had to be overcome? Stay tuned,” the author added.

“Ron Stallworth’s life is truly important and his adventures are uniquely American,” Willmott said. “The time period of the show is also special musically and untapped politically and culturally. I look forward to exploring the many dimensions of this complex multi-cultural, multi-racial world.”

Said Armitraj: “We are thrilled to partner with Ron and Kevin on the exciting ongoing adventures of Ron’s extraordinary life story. It is an honor to work with them to bring this powerful, culturally diverse memoir to the screen.”

The feature will be produced by Amritraj and Priya Amritraj for Hyde Park Entertainment along with Stallworth and Willmott.

Stallworth is represented by APA, Andy Frances at Adwater & Stir Solutions and Victoria
Fisher-Briggs at Kjar & Associates.

Willmott recently set up an event series about Muhammad Ali at Peacock with Regé-Jean Page and Morgan Freeman. He is represented by Gersh and Erik Hyman at Paul Hastings LLP.

Hyde Park is represented by Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP.

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