Sammy Davis Jr Biopic In The Works, Lena Waithe To Produce

October 15, 2020 by Toi Monèt Creel in Music with 0 Comments

Sammy Davis Jr Biopic In The Works, Lena Waithe To Produce

It’s been 30 years since Sammy Davis Jr. died, but his legacy is still very much alive. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a new biopic about the musician is in the works at MGM.

The movie will be written by David Matthews and based on the book Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father. The book has a personal connection to Davis’s family as it was written by his daughters Tracey and Dolores A. Barclay.

The film will be produced by Lena Waithe alongside Rishi Rajani, Julia Lebedev, Eddie Vaisman, and Sight Unseen.

Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe is an American screenwriter, director, and actress. She first gained notoriety for acting and writing on the comedy-drama series Master of None.

She later went on to create a slew of successful projects including the drama “The Chi” on Showtime and “Twenties” on BET.

This is the second major project in the works about Davis Jr. The other, called “Scandalous!”, will be directed by Janet Mock with Jeremy Pope playing the late singer.

Janet Mock

The synopsis reads:

“In his 60s, groundbreaking entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. tries to pull off the biggest showbiz reunion in history but first, he’ll have to mend all the relationships he’s broken along the way to stardom. Told in impressionistic flashbacks, the story of Sammy Davis, Jr.’s rise from child prodigy, to global superstar, as he fights racism, the Hollywood machine, and his personal demons in a last-ditch attempt to reclaim his former stardom.”

What do you think about the plans for the new Sammy Davis, Jr. movie? Let us know in the comments.