Ryan Coogler and “Mudbound” producer Charles D King are cheffing up some more pro-Black feature films, one of which is in negotiations to star actors Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield.
“Jesus Was My Homeboy” is the newest project that Coogler and King’s MACRO productions have in the works. The film will tell the story of iconic Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton, his journey as a successful Black community aid and how he was betrayed by FBI informant, William O’Neal. Stanfield will star as William O’Neal, and Kaluuya as Hampton, if the deals go through. “Jesus Was My Homeboy” will also dive into the infiltration of the Black Panther Party by the FBI, the thought process of the FBI informant and the untimely death of Hampton, who died at the age of 21.
Shaka King (”Newlyweeds”) will direct and produce from a script written with Will Berson (”Sea Oak”), Deadline reports. Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Evans, MACRO’s Kim Roth, and Poppy Hanks will be the project’s executive producers.
Hampton was the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Panther Organization, who also worked as deputy chairman of the national BPP. His talent as a speaker, motivator, and activist is what eventually caught the insidious eye of the FBI, fatally attacking him in his own home. Hampton and Mark Clark were killed during the controversial raid, which was initiated by orders from the Chicago Police Department and the FBI. O’Neal assisted authorities with the details of Hampton’s apartment.
Clark’s deaths were initially ruled justifiable homicide, and the police claimed the Panthers had initiated hostilities, but a number of investigations pointed to state-sponsored assassination and subsequent civil lawsuits led to settlements by law enforcement and Illinois’ Cook County.
