Dana Elaine Owens, higher known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is preparing to direct a feature film based on her life story, starring Will Smith.

On ThursdayHarbourView Equity Partners, founded by Sherrese Clarke Soares, has announced plans to develop a “series” of hip-hop biopics Instagram post.

“We are thrilled to join forces to produce a slate of hip-hop biopics featuring these powerhouse acts, starting with Queen Latifah’s story. More to come,” the post reads.

People Magazine reports that the project might be made in collaboration with Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment partner Shakim Compere, Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Jesse Collins Entertainment. Smith will produce.

“We all came into this industry together, and hip-hop has shaped each and every one of us. Hip-hop’s influence has transcended the music and left a lasting impression on the culture and society as a whole,” Latifah, 54, and Compere said in a statement, based on People.

She added: “It’s a dream come true to collaborate with friends and colleagues who not only share our understanding but also can tell the stories that have been the backdrop of our lives.”

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Latifah, a native of Newark, New Jersey, first entered the entertainment industry as a rapper in 1989, releasing her debut album, “All Hail the Queen.” She also began her acting profession in 1991 in Spike Lee’s movies “Jungle Fever” and “House Party 2,” before starring within the cult classic film “Set It Off” in 1996 and on the hit sitcom “Living Single,” which aired from 1993 to 1998. Over the course of her profession, she has released seven studio albums, including a jazz album. She has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a Grammy. Latifah most recently starred within the CBS series “The Equalizer,” which has been airing since 2021.

Neither Smith nor Latifiah are recent to biopics. Latifah played Bessie Smith in HBO’s jazz singer biopic “Bessie.” Smith has since played Muhammad Ali in “Ali” and Chris Gardener in “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

According to Hollywood ReporterSmith added in a statement: “When you bring talented people and teams together, you can create something truly special.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Flavor Unit, Jesse Collins Entertainment and HarbourView to highlight the incredible stories of some of our favorite artists and icons,” he continued. “There’s no better story to start with than Queen Latifah, an undisputed legend who has entertained and inspired us for so many years.”

TORONTO (AP) — August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” has an insightful tackle the subject of ancestry and heritage, making the latest film adaptation, produced by Denzel Washington and directed by his son Malcolm, a family affair.

“The Piano Lesson,” which premiered Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, is Washington’s third in an ongoing effort to bring Wilson’s plays to the screen. The film follows “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and, like those movies, features several strong performances from actors, including Danielle Deadwyler as Berniece and John David Washington, Malcolm’s older brother, as Berniece’s brother, Boy Willie.

In Thirties Pittsburgh, Boy Willie arrives at his sister’s home with plans to sell a family heirloom, a piano engraved by their ancestors who took it from a slave. In the heartbreaking family drama that follows, Berniece, Boy Willie, and others (Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Potts, and Ray Fisher) grapple with the haunting shadow of slavery and the burden of their family legacy.

“There are so many legacies that come with it,” says Malcolm Washington. “I think it’s part of our responsibility, when you’re in a position to make a film like this, to honor that and to keep that alive. We’re here because so many people fought and sacrificed and worked to give the next generation a chance. This film and its story are ultimately so much bigger than my family.”

Malcolm, 33, sat next to his older brother and Deadwyler just a few hours before the premiere of “The Piano Lesson,” which Netflix will release on Nov. 8 after which stream on Nov. 22. As the interview was wrapping up, Denzel Washington burst into the room.

“It all started with me,” Denzel jokingly declared, as the other three howled with laughter. “Then I had two sons, and before I knew it, I was unemployed!”

Denzel, joined by his producing partner Todd Black, said it was his son’s idea to direct “The Piano Lesson.” The 2022 Broadway production was based on Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play with much of the forged, including John David.

“Malcolm said he had an idea,” Denzel recalls. “He said, ‘Let me put something together.’ So he made a short film. I looked at him like, ‘Wow, OK. You want to make a film? This is great, make a film.’”

But Malcolm didn’t immediately resolve to do it. He told his father, “Let me see if I can watch the movie first.” He began working on the script and eventually co-wrote it with Virgil Williams (“Mudbound”).

“At first I was like, ‘Watch the movie?’ But now I get it,” Denzel says. “He’s a real filmmaker. He took his time and didn’t jump right in.”

While John David, the 40-year-old star of “BlacKkKlansman” and “Tenet,” has established himself as a significant actor in Hollywood, Malcolm, a graduate of the American Film Institute’s directing program, is just entering the highlight. “He knew what he wanted,” Black says. “And he wasn’t afraid to connect with people who knew more than he did.”

Throughout the making of “The Piano Lesson,” Denzel largely kept his distance, allowing Malcolm to do his work. Yet his passion for Wilson’s art permeated the entire production.

“He’s a huge fan of August Wilson, and it’s a really important part of his legacy to continue telling August’s story,” Malcolm says. “His main thing with all of us was to keep that focus: We’re here to honor one of our greats.”

“The Piano Lesson” is a Washington family film in other ways, too. Malcolm and John David’s mother, Pauletta Washington, plays Mama Ola. The film is devoted to their mother.

“I started with the clear idea that it was about fathers and sons,” Malcolm says. “As we were making the film, I just started seeing this mother-daughter story, and my mom is a huge inspiration to me. I’ve always seen my mom as connected to Berniece’s story.”

Malcolm’s sisters are also involved. Olivia Washington plays Mama Ola as a young woman, and Katia Washington is an executive producer. Ironically, their father, Denzel, is nearly the only person in the family not in the film. But Malcolm, wanting all the members of the family to be represented in the film, asked his father to take part in a brief voiceover.

“Am I in this?” Denzel asks. “I recorded something. I didn’t get credit. Did I get credit? I don’t think so!”

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NEW YORK (AP) — Before Aaron Pierre decided to grow to be an actor, he dreamed of becoming the fastest man on the earth.

Growing up in West Croydon, London, Pierre was drawn to athletics. He thought gold medal sprinter Maurice Greene was the best man on Earth. Pierre ran the 60 meters, 100 meters and the second half of the 4 x 100 relay.

“Something that was instilled in me was to stay calm in high-pressure situations — man, one of those is the second leg of a relay race,” Pierre says, speaking via Zoom from his apartment in Los Angeles. “When the whole school comes out and you get the baton, you have to focus on one foot in front of the other.”

How quickly Pierre can put one foot in front of the opposite is an interesting query, and not only due to accelerating pace of his profession. (In December, he will likely be the voice of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins “Mufasa: The Lion King.” ) This is also because, for somebody who will be really fast, 30-year-old Pierre has an astonishing power of staying still as an actor.

In Jeremy Saulnier’s book “Rebel Ridge” In this taut, tense thriller, which debuted Friday on Netflix, Pierre plays Terry Richmond, a former Marine who is stopped by the police while riding his bike and has a bag of cash confiscated — his cousin’s bail. What follows is a tense, escalating standoff with the town’s corrupt police department and its chief (a great Don Johnson). And until he is, Pierre’s Richmond is unyieldingly patient and unafraid. He’s a preternaturally calm martial arts expert. A low-key Rambo.

“I had to use some level of brain-twisting,” Pierre says. “This character that Jerry Saulnier wrote and created is so fucking awesome. It’s understandably, deeply tempting to do too much. I told Jeremy I had to do everything I could to normalize how cool Terry Richmond is.”

“Rebel Ridge” is considered one of those overwhelmingly clear cinematic experiences: Pierre is clearly a star within the making. From the moment he rides into town on his bicycle (“a modern horse,” Saulnier says), he dominates the screen with extraordinary power. He has the body of a chiseled athlete, however the heavy, melancholy eyes and booming baritone (this is the person who inherits the role voiced by James Earl Jones, in spite of everything) of an actor trained in Shakespeare.

Although Pierre has been seen in lots of previous movies and TV series (Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad), last 12 months’s sci-fi drama “Foe” ), “Rebel Ridge” is his first leading role.

“When I connected with Aaron via Zoom, I only saw a snippet of the conversation “The Underground Railroad” and that was enough to persuade me,” Saulnier says. “I saw his skills. I saw his presence. I said, ‘This is it. This is my guy.'”

Saulnier, the writer-director of “Green Room” and “Blue Ruin,” is considered one of Hollywood’s most talented genre writers. “Rebel Ridge” is his first film in seven years, but it surely’s a reminder of his knack for giving thrillers earthy authenticity and wealthy atmosphere.

“I miss texture,” Saulnier says. “Like seeing the shock absorbers on a car and knowing you’re in a real vehicle, even when you’re shooting a dialogue scene. I think that level of authenticity is being removed from film production. If top filmmakers with budgets over $100 million can’t sell a dialogue sequence in a car, let’s go back to basics.”

Saulnier originally solid John Boyega in Rebel Ridge, but Boyega left the film just before production began. Saulnier calls the split “water under the bridge.”

“John and I would both agree that this was the best path for both of us. There’s no ill will involved,” Saulnier says. “Whatever pressure was put in place when we were casting this role ended up being this unique experience. When I watch the film now and see how people react to it, it’s undeniable what an incredible actor Aaron Pierre is.”

Pierre grew up in a legal housing estate (government housing) in West Croydon. His father, he says, is an actor, teacher and life coach; his mother was a project manager, amongst other things. He speaks of them and of his London youth with admiration.

“West Croydon is my favourite place in the world. It’s really played a huge part in who I am today,” says Pierre. “It’s really instilled in me the importance of intentionality. It’s also played a huge part in how I see my journey, my career journey. For me, as much as I’m deeply passionate about what I do and wouldn’t want to do anything else, before I was a son, a brother, a friend. I was many things before I was an actor.”

Pierre began acting as a teenager and eventually graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In the summer of 2018, he got the role of Cassio in a production of Othello on the Globe Theatre, starring Andre Holland and Mark Rylance. Barry Jenkins happened to see it and tweeted Pierre that night. “I was convinced someone was making fun of me,” laughs Pierre. That led to The Underground Railroad.

Working with Jenkins, Pierre began to find himself as a screen actor. Jenkins, he says, taught him to place truth and honesty above all else in his performance. On his first day on set, Jenkins approached him with a request for a very important scene that didn’t land.

“Barry came to me and said, ‘Aaron, I like what you did in these first takes, but we’re not getting to the truth right now. I need you to find the truth, and I need you to find it now because the sun’s going down,'” Pierre recalls, chuckling.

“Rebel Ridge” brought a lot of recent demands, including a top-tier listing. The film had a difficult road to production, due to the pandemic and Boyega’s unexpected departure. But Saulnier remained committed to creating it the way in which he envisioned it.

“There were definitely forks in the road where I could have given up and been okay,” Saulnier says. “I dug in and made sure that no matter what version we chose, if it wasn’t the best possible version, it would be better on the shelf. The struggle was to maintain quality.”

Saulnier was inspired by real events confiscation of civil propertywhen the police can confiscate money based solely on suspicion. Saulnier admits that “Rebel Ridge” has echoes of movies like “Mississippi Burning” in its portrayal of a black man caught up in Southern racism. But Pierre’s Richmond is a more contemporary figure, one who faces prejudices which have simply disappeared just beneath the surface, cloaked in legal secrecy.

“One of the many things I liked about the character was his ability to regulate his emotions even in moments that are undeniably, blatantly unfair and intentionally so,” Pierre says. “He does it in such a non-demonstrative and non-bragging way that even when he’s articulating how patient he is, you still might not understand it. He’s not showing off his extensive martial arts credentials or his résumé. He’s just trying to tell you that you’re approaching a certain limit.”

For Saulnier, Rebel Ridge is the primary film that, while shrouded in an ominous, dark darkness, is less reliant on high levels of brutality. Instead, Rebel Ridge warms up slowly, made possible by Pierre’s smoldering performance.

“We’ve waited a long time for this, for this moment,” Pierre says with gratitude. “And I’m just doing what I can to be present in it.”

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