Jay Z, Weinstein Company To Produce Trayvon Martin Film and Documentary SeriesPosted by Wilson Morales
March 24, 2017
Source: Variety
According to Variety, Shawn “Jay Z” Carter and The Weinstein Company are collaborating on producing a film and television projects about Trayvon Martin, 17-year-old whose shooting sparked a national debate about racial profiling and inequities of the criminal justice system that brought about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Together, they acquired the rights to “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It” and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin.”
The African-American high school student was killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old mixed race Hispanic man, who was a member of the neighborhood watch in his Florida community. He claimed he shot Martin, who was unarmed, in self defense after the two became involved in a physical altercation. Zimmerman’s acquittal on a second-degree murder charge inspired protests around the country.
“Suspicion Nation” is by Lisa Bloom and recounts her experience covering the trial for NBC. She looks at the mistakes made by prosecutors that caused them to lose what she describes as a “winnable case.” “Rest in Power” is by Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. It tells a more personal story, looking at Martin’s childhood and the aftermath of his death.
The plan is to make a six-part docu-series with Jay Z producing as part of a first-look deal he signed with the studio last September. The Weinstein Co. will also develop a narrative feature film.
Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein served as executive producers on Spike’s new docuseries “Time: The Kalief Browder Story.” Browder was arrested at sixteen under suspicion of robbery, imprisoned without conviction for three years on New York City’s notorious Rikers Island, and committed suicide in 2015, two years after his release.
