‘Black Klansman’ Memoir Adaptation Coming to Big Screen from Jordan Peele and Spike Lee

Black Klansman

Jordan Peele (left) and Spike Lee are no strangers to racial commentary. (Paras Griffin/ Stringer/Getty Images for Universal/ Rich Fury/ Invision/AP)

The Black horror follow-up to “Get Out” is coming in the form of “Black Klansman” from Jordan Peele and Spike Lee!

The film, initially reported by The Hollywood Reporter, will tell the true-life tale of Ron Stallworth. The now-retired Black police officer wrote in his memoir of the same name that he infiltrated the growing Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1978. Stallworth pretended to be a KKK member on the phone and through other communication methods. He eventually became the head of the local chapter and sent a white officer in his place for in-person meetings.

John David Washington, Denzel Washington’s son who stars on HBO’s “Ballers,” is in talks to star as Stallworth. The crime thriller, which will shoot this fall, will be produced by Peele, follows the hugely successful racial satirical thriller “Get Out.” This time, he’s tapped Lee, who is known for racial-commentary films like “Do The Right Thing,” to direct. “Black Klansman” has been in development for two years and was pushed forward after “Get Out” became the most successful film of 2017.


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Peele previously said “Get Out” would lead him to continue writing and producing, marking an end to his sketch comedy career.

“I’ve been in Hollywood for 14 years — 14 years of closed doors and the grind,” he told THR in March. “So, to feel the energy coming from inside the industry, let alone from the country, is just one of the best feelings. … I really want to continue to nurture my own voice. I love writing.”

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