Chadwick Boseman is set to star in Reginald Hudlin’s courtroom thriller, Marshall.
The film will depict the life of attorney Thurgood Marshall, particularly a career-defining case that took place long before his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is described as such: “As the nation teeters on the brink of WWII, a nearly bankrupt NAACP sends Marshall to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high profile victory but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come.”
Hudlin expressed his adamant excitement about bringing the historic figure’s story to life to the big screen.
“Thurgood Marshall was a man who took his life in his hands every time he came to a town to bring justice,” he said. “Marshall was a cowboy who used his law books as guns. He was the smartest guy in the room of any room he was in. But he wasn’t a punk and didn’t hesitate to throw a punch if the occasion called for it.”
Boseman already has experience in semi-autobiographical films. He portrayed Jackie Robinson in the 2013 film, 42, and the story of the Godfather of Soul James Brown in, Get on Up.
The project began filming in Los Angeles this week.
Hudlin is set to produce the 88th Annual Academy Awards, airing on February 28. He will also receive the “Salute to Excellence Award” presented by The African American Film Critics Association during the 7th AAFCA Awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday, February 10.