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Common Joins THE HATE U GIVE Cast, Director Announced

“Men of Honor” director George Tillman Jr. has signed on to direct the movie adaptation for Angie Thomas’ THE HATE U GIVE. 

Rapper/actor Common has joined the cast of The Hate U Give, which includes Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, and Algee Smith. It’s the story about a teenage girl (Stenberg) who becomes the witness of her unarmed best friend’s shooting by a police officer. She’s torn about speaking what she’s seen, knowing that it will affect her life not only at her poverty-stricken home, but at her more privileged school.

Common will play Starr’s uncle, who is a police officer.

The hip-hop artist has already won an Oscar and Golden Glove in the Original Song category for the song “Glory” (with John Legend) in the movie Selma. His song, “Letters to the Free” (shared with Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins) has been nominated for a 2017 Emmy for the documentary 13th. Both Selma and 13th are directed by A Wrinkle in Time‘s Ava DuVernay.

As for Common’s acting credits, which are plenty, they include AMC’s Hell on Wheels, Selma, Suicide Squad, John Wick: Chapter 2, and most recently, Girls Trip.

George Tillman, Jr.

The director for the film has also been revealed to be Men of Honor’s George Tillman, Jr., who’s directed for both movies and TV. His other credits include Faster starring Dwayne Johnson, The Longest Ride starring Scott Eastman, Netflix’s Luke Cage, and NBC’s This is Us. He’s also attached to direct a biopic on legendary musician Miles Davis.

The Hate U Give is the debut novel of YA author Angie Thomas and became an immediate best-seller with starred reviews from several notable review sites, as well as accolades from many popular authors.

The book overview:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

You can order The Hate U Give if you want to read it before watching the movie.

(Source)

By Nat, the Geek Girl

Southern California native who likes movies, books (Shadowhunter Chronicles, NA, YA fantasy, Red Rising series), TV shows (The Sandman), and San Diego Comic-Con. I also like to write, but don't get to do much of that aside from on here. I fell into the BTS rabbit hole, and I refuse to leave.