Justin Simien to Direct ‘Hollywood Black’ Historical Docuseries at MGM+
MGM+ has greenlit “Hollywood Black,” a new docuseries directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Haunted Mansion”).
Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen and in the credits. It is a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood, and a powerful reexamination of a quintessentially American story — in brilliant color.
“Hollywood, like many American industries, was built on Black culture and Black talent, even though it excluded Black people from many of its origin stories,” Simien said in a statement. “This series seeks to illuminate present-day controversies, from #OscarSoWhite to the almost regular ‘blackface reveal’ of prominent white celebrities, told through the lens of Black individuals throughout Hollywood history. It’s the most important story I’ve been able to tell to date, on such a large scale, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to tell it with this team.”
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The series is produced by Simien’s Culture Machine, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions and the Academy Award-winning creative production company RadicalMedia.
Simien, Whitaker, Bongiovi, Culture Machine’s Kyle Larsen and RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen (“Summer of Soul”) and Jeffrey Swartz will all serve as executive producers. Amy Goodman Kass will serve as showrunner.
“We love collaborating with visionary filmmakers, so it’s an honor to team up with Justin Simien/Culture Machine and Radical Media on Hollywood Black, especially alongside such immense support from Michael Wright and MGM+,” Whitaker said in a statement. “Through this meaningful exploration of Black history in cinema, we’re excited to celebrate its future.”
“Hollywood Black” is the latest addition to MGM+’s library of acclaimed docuseries, including “Amityville: An Origin Story,” “Murf the Surf,” the Emmy-nominated “Laurel Canyon,” “Helter Skelter,” “Slow Burn,” “My Life as a Rolling Stone,” “NFL Icons” and Blumhouse’s “Compendium of Horror.”
