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Antoine Fuqua Bringing Story of Black Panther Party Leader Fred Hampton to the Big Screen

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Antoine Fuqua transitioned from music video directing to film directing early in his career. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

As part of a first-look deal with Sony Pictures, director Antoine Fuqua hopes to bring the story of national Black Panther Parter deputy chairman Fred Hampton to theaters.

Fuqua’s film will focus on 21-year-old Hampton, a revolutionary activist who was assassinated in a raid by local police as he slept in his Chicago apartment. The 1969 murder was plotted by the FBI and Cook County State’s Attorney Edward Hanrahan to weaken the BPP’s power. It was later ruled a justifiable homicide, but the survivors, other members of the Black Panthers who were in the apartment, were given an $1.85 million settlement in 1983.

The film, which has a script based on Jeffrey Haas’ book “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How The FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther,” according to Deadline, is a passion project for Fuqua. The director will give Sony the first option to make the film and pitch it to other movie studios if the distributor passes.

Before the untitled Fred Hampton picture, Variety reported Fuqua will helm his first sequel, “The Equalizer 2,” which is due in Sept. 2018. It will also be the first sequel for its star, Denzel Washington.

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