Lionsgate Picks Up Daveed Diggs’ Sundance Race Relations Film ‘Blindspotting’ Posted by Wilson Morales
January 25, 2018
Source: Variety
Variety is stating that Lionsgate has acquired the worldwide rights to Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs’ and Rafael Casal’s Sundance opening-night selection, Blindspotting.
The film premiered at the Eccles Theatre on Jan. 18 from music video director Carlos Lopez Estrada in his feature directorial debut.
The film, written by Diggs and Casal, has Diggs as a man on the last days of his parole. He moves boxes out of houses with his friend (Rafael Casal), as they navigate a series of tense situations in their neighborhood involving race and violence.
The cast also features Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Ethan Embry, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kevin Carroll, Nyambi Nyambi, John Chaffin, and Wayne Knight.
Snoot’s Keith Calder and Jessica Calder are producing the film with Diggs and Casal, while WME Global will rep domestic rights for the project.
The critically acclaimed film will receive a wide release from Lionsgate’s Codeblack Films and Summit Entertainment label later this year.
According to the site, several buyers were interested in “Blindspotting,” including CBS Films and Neon. MoviePass, the service that allows consumers to watch unlimited movies for a low monthly fee, was also circling the project, in search of a distribution partner, but couldn’t find one, according to knowledgeable sources. The Orchard was very close to landing the picture at one point, but was outbid by Lionsgate.
López Estrada, Diggs and Casal said in a statement, “We took the approach on this film that convention would not hinder the telling of an authentic Oakland story, and we know from experience that our new partners are not afraid to push boundaries and try something new. We could not be more excited.”
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