It looks like Jay-Z is about to add another accomplishment to his already impressive list of accolades. This as news comes that he’s set to produce a film adaptation of Dwayne Alexander Smith’s popular novel Forty Acres. The adaption of the 2014 book will be produced for Netflix.
According to Deadline, the movie is expected to follow a civil rights attorney fighting for survival after he was invited to join an elite Black organization. The organization has a well-hidden life-changing secret. It’s being compared to Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which did extremely well at the box office.
The creator of Luke Cage, Cheo Hodari Coker, has joined the team as a writer. Other well-known producers on the team include James Lassiter, Aaron Kaplan, Niles Kirchner, and Bill Straus. The author of the novel joins Mike Epps and Dana Honor as executive producers.
According to Amazon’s synopsis of the book: “Martin Grey, a smart, talented black lawyer working out of a storefront in Queens, becomes friendly with a group of some of the most powerful, wealthy, and esteemed black men in America. He’s dazzled by what they’ve accomplished, and they seem to think he has the potential to be as successful as they are. They invite him for a weekend away from it all—no wives, no cell phones, no talk of business. But far from home and cut off from everyone he loves, he discovers a disturbing secret that challenges some of his deepest convictions.”
This is JAY-Z’s second foray into Netflix as he and Lassiter recently produced The Harder They Fall. The rapper is extending his portfolio as a producer as he is also working on a six-episode limited series for ABC called “Women of the Movement.” That story is about Mamie Till Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, who spent her life looking for justice for her son following his murder at the hands of white men in 1955.
In unrelated news, he’s also been named Chief Visionary Officer of cannabis companies Caliva and Left Coast Ventures. Jay-Z has already said that he intends to use the opportunity to give back to the black community.
“Although we know we can’t fully redeem the injustices created by the ‘war on drugs,’ we can help shape a brighter and inclusive future. The brands we build will pave a new path forward for a legacy rooted in equity, access, and justice. We’re creating something people can trust and we’re investing in our future, our people, and our communities.”
