A movie on the famed Black Panther Fred Hampton is reportedly on it’s way to theaters, and actors Lakeith Stanfield as well Daniel Kaluuya are in talks to be the stars. The title of the film will be “Jesus is My Homeboy.”
Hampton, who was the chairman for the Panther’s Illinois chapter, was murdered on Dec. 4, 1969 while sleeping in bed with his pregnant girlfriend. Fourteen policemen raided his apartment on the West side of Chicago and immediately opened fire.
At first police said the other Panthers who were in the apartment shot first when a warrant was supposed to be served, and their shooting was justified. But later it was determined that a plot to assassinate Hampton was organized by the FBI, The Chicago Police Department and the Cooke County State’s Attorney.
Hampton was 21 years of age when he was killed, along with another man named Mark Clark who was 22.
“Jesus is My Homeboy” will be produced by Ryan Coogler , and he of course directed the historic superhero flick “Black Panther.”
According to Variety, if the making of the new project is finalized, Kaluuya will take on the role of Hampton, and Stanfield will play William O’Neal, who infiltrated the Panthers after being arrested and becoming a police informant.
It was O’Neal who gave police the layout of Hampton’s apartment, including the room where he’d be sleeping. O’Neal was killed in 1990 after being struck by a car on an Illinois expressway. His death was later ruled a suicide.
Coogler won’t be directing the Hampton film, it’ll be directed by Shaka King, who’s probably best known for his 2013 film Newlyweds, which appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. King is also a writer on HBO’s “Random Act of Flyness” and directed episodes on the HBO series “High Maintenance.”
Stanfield — who currently plays Darius Epps on the FX series “Atlanta” — received plenty of critical acclaim for his role in Boots Riley‘s “Sorry to Bother You,” while Kaluuya added to his resume with the incredibly successful “Get Out” film.
Kaluuya also played in Coogler’s “Black Panther” and co-starred in “Widows” with Viola Davis.
