Here’s all the news you need to know:
Daniel Kaluuya has landed the lead role in Lena Waithe’s upcoming film, Queen & Slim. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, the feature centers on a Bonnie & Clyde-esque Black couple who kill a cop in self-defense then go on the run to Cuba. Waithe is producing the film via her Hillman Grad Productions along with Matsoukas via her De La Revolución Films. (THR)
A white supremacist group is facing assault charges after attacking a Black man outside of a Philadelphia bar. According to reports, the seven men hurled racial slurs at Paul Morris then beat him up while he was delivering a thank you card to the bar owner. Avalon Police Chief Tom Kokoski says the men will be charged with simple assault, ethnic intimidation, conspiracy for simple assault, and a conspiracy for ethnic intimidation. (Vibe)
Kofi Siriboe has been cast as the lead role in Really Love, a film about a Black painter in a gentrifying D.C. who tries to break into the competitive art while falling in love unexpectedly. Filming begins in Baltimore and D.C. this summer. (Deadline)
Wendy Williams has partnered with The Hunter Foundation to launch “Be Here,” a national campaign designed to combat drug addiction and substance abuse. The controversial talk show and radio host announced the news while discussing her own experiences with addiction. “I was a functioning addict,” she said in an interview. “I would report to work on time and I walked in and all of my coworkers, and including my bosses, would know but instead of firing me, you see, I would grab my headphones and arrogantly walk into the studio and dare them to fire me because I was making ratings.” (Entertainment Tonight)
The NFL has currently suspended its new National Anthem policy which requires players to stand and show respect to the flag. The league and players are continuing conversations to discuss why players protest social injustice and police brutality during the National Anthem and what should happen, if anything, when they do. “No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing,” the NFL says. (Bleacher Report)
Netflix’s Strong Black Lead has shared a teaser and announcement for Sanaa Lathan’s Nappily Ever After, based on the best-selling novel by Trisha R. Thomas. The romantic comedy, which drops Sept. 21, follows Venus Johnson, a woman who breaks up with her longtime boyfriend after he fails to propose. Soon, Johnson begins to battle old feelings when he promptly begins dating another woman. (Strong Black Lead)