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Posts tagged as “JuVee Productions”

Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct and Viola Davis to Star and Produce “The Woman King” at TriStar Pictures

Gina Prince-Bythewood to Direct and Viola Davis to Star and Produce “The Woman King” at TriStar Pictures

By goodblacknews on July 14, 2020

According to Variety.com, Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard,” “Beyond The Lights,” “Love & Basketball”) is set to direct “The Woman King,” starring Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis at TriStar Pictures.

The movie is being produced by Davis and Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions, Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment, and Maria Bello of Jack Blue Productions.

To quote from Variety.com:

The film is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The story follows Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit, and her daughter Nawi, who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.

“We at JuVee are beyond excited to introduce this incredible story of the Women Warriors of The Dahomey Ahosi tribe to the world. It’s time that they truly occupy their place in history and in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s hands, it will be a gamechanger. This project could not be a more perfect example of our legacy,” said Davis and Tennon.

Read more: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/the-old-guard-gina-prince-bythewood-viola-davis-woman-king-1234706452/

[Photo credits: Gina Prince-Bythewood via commons.wikipedia.org; Viola Davis by Dario Calmese]

WATCH TRAILER: Charleston Church Shooting Documentary “Emanuel,” Executive Produced by Viola Davis, Steph Curry and Mariska Hartigay, to Hit Theaters June 17 and 19

By goodblacknews on April 8, 2019

June 2019 marks the fourth anniversary of the Charleston, South Carolina tragedy at Emanuel A.M.E. Church. The feature-length documentary “EMANUEL,” opens in movie theaters nationwide as a limited release event with Fathom Events on June 17 and 19 only.

The new trailer, released today, gives a glimpse into the emotional documentary that recalls the events of June 17, 2015 and examines how faith, hope and forgiveness healed a devastated community after the heinous church shooting, carried out by white supremacist Dylann Roof.

The film is executive produced by Stephen Curry for Unanimous Media, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions, Arbella Studios and Mariska Hargitay, and is directed by Brian Ivie (The Drop Box) and presented by SDG and Fiction Pictures.

For more information on EMANUEL, visit www.emanuelmovie.com. You can also follow the film on social media:

Facebook and Instagram – @emanuelmovie and #emanuelmovie. 

Viola Davis Stars As Shirley Chisholm in New Movie “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm”

By goodblacknews on December 2, 2018

viola-davis-shirley-chisholm-now-113018.pngThe first Black actress to earn a lead dramatic Emmy will bring another pioneering Black woman, Shirley Chisholm, to life on screen.

Deadline reported yesterday (November 29) that Viola Davis will produce and star in “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm.” This will be the “Widows” star’s first project under the first look deal that JuVee Productions, the company she co-heads with husband Julius Tennon, recently signed with Amazon Studios. Davis confirmed the project today (November 30) by retweeting JuVee’s tweet with one of the late Democratic politician’s quotes:

Read more via Viola Davis Stars As Shirley Chisholm in New Movie | Colorlines

Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions Signs Exclusive Feature Production Deal with Amazon Studios

By goodblacknews on November 26, 2018

Actress Viola Davis photographed at her home in Los Angeles, CA July 2018 by Williams + Hirakawa
Viola Davis photographed at her home in Los Angeles, CA July 2018 by Williams + Hirakawa
by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

According to Variety.com, Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Viola Davis and her producer husband Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions has just signed an exclusive first-look feature production deal with Amazon Studios, putting the streaming service in business with one of the most acclaimed and honored thespians of the modern day.

JuVee Productions signed an overall deal with ABC in early 2016, for television development and production. But Davis has been working with Amazon as a producer on the upcoming movie comedy “Troupe Zero,” which co-stars Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan. The film will be released in 2019.

“Amazon Studios is passionate about building a home for both new and established filmmakers of all backgrounds, who share the same vision in telling incredible and engaging human stories,” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “Viola and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions brings distinctive, fresh voices and high-quality content to our customers in both theaters and on Prime Video.”

Davis continues to headline the ABC hit “How to Get Away With Murder” and is starring in movies like this fall’s “Widows.”

Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o to Play Mother and Daughter in ‘The Woman King’ at TriStar

By goodblacknews on March 2, 2018

(photo via deadline.com)

by Patrick Hipes via deadline.com
TriStar Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to The Woman King, a film inspired by true events that will star Oscar winners Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o. The original story is from Maria Bello, and Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment will produce with Davis and Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions, and Bello of Jack Blue Productions.

Based on the true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful West African states in the 18th and 19th centuries, The Woman King tells the story of Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter Nawi (Nyong’o), who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
“The Woman King is the powerful true story of an extraordinary mother-daughter relationship,” TriStar Pictures president Hannah Minghella said. “And there’s no-one more extraordinary than Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o to bring them to life.”
Added Schulman: “Black Panther just showed us how the power of imagination and lore could reveal a world without gender and racial stereotypes. The Woman King will tell one of history’s greatest forgotten stories from the real world in which we live, where an army of African warrior women staved off slavery, colonialism and inter-tribal warfare to unify a nation.”
Source: http://deadline.com/2018/03/the-woman-king-movie-viola-davis-lupita-nyongo-tristar-1202307588/

Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions Raising $250M for Content Development, Production & Distribution

By goodblacknews on March 14, 2017

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon (photo via shadowandact.com)

article via shadowandact.com
JuVee Productions – the integrated film, television and digital production company created by Viola Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, is embarking on an effort to raise $250,000,000 in a global expansion plan for the development, production and distribution of diverse and inclusive film and digital content.
The fund will be used to develop, finance, produce and distribute a slate of multiple feature films and branded digital content that will see the relatively young production company expand its footprint globally. “The shift in storytelling should be inclusive and we aim to make it a reality,” says Julius Tennon in a press statement.
Launched in 2012 by Davis and Tennon, JuVee Productions is a Los Angeles-based artist driven production company that develops and produces independent film, television, theater, and digital content across all platforms. JuVee Productions aims to become the go-to creative hub where the next generation of filmmakers and artists have the space to craft dynamic stories spanning the broad spectrum of humanity.
The company’s most recent project is the courtroom drama “Custody” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016, and aired on the Lifetime network last week. The short film “Night Shift” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year and continues to tour the film festival circuit.
Upcoming the production company has the film adaptation of “The Personal History of Rachel DuPree” which Davis is starring in; a biopic on Barbara Jordan (the first Southern African American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives), also with Davis starring; and a TV period series set up at ABC titled “The Zipcoders,” set in 1968, about a group of black teenagers form a rock ‘n’ roll band who aspire to be like The Beatles; and there’s also Davis’ Harriet Tubman film with HBO.
To read full article, go to: Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions Raising $250M for Content Development, Production & Distribution – Shadow and Act

Viola Davis' Production Company Sells Comedy "The Zipcoders" to ABC

By goodblacknews on October 27, 2016
Viola Davis The Zipcoders
Viola Davis (photo via variety.com; STEPHEN LOVEKIN/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
Viola Davis is expanding her work behind-the-camera, as she’s put a new comedy series into development with ABC, the network behind her show “How To Get Away With Murder.”
Davis will executive produce the single-cam, half-hour comedy “The Zipcoders” for ABC through her production company JuVee Productions.
Hailing from “Barbershop” screenwriter Marshall Todd, “The Zipcoders,” set in 1968, is about a divorced mother of three who moves her family to the East Side of Austin, Texas, soon after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in an effort to be closer to her estranged sister. Once there, to the utter bewilderment of friends, family and the community at large, her teenage son forms a rock ‘n’ roll band with his group of friends who aspire to be like The Beatles.
“Zipcoders” is an original idea, which gained traction at JuVee, due to the “humorously iconic” image of a group of African-American teenagers with feathered hair and bell bottoms in the middle of the deep South. Todd became attached to the project, after he did research on the late 1960’s in America and found parallels to the issues our country is dealing with today — politically, racially and musically. He then pitched the family comedy to ABC Studios and the network.
“This project gives me the opportunity to tell a story that, while specific to the African-American experience, doesn’t travel in the usual tropes,” said Todd, who will serve as co-exec producer on the series, in addition to writing. “As a parent, I was inspired to tell a story from the dual perspective of parents and children in a world where the rules are constantly changing. Music has always been a passion of mine and to be able to use it to inform this particular narrative was a provocative challenge. I have found in Viola and the squad at JuVee the perfect co-conspirators dedicated to telling the types of stories that entertain while contributing to the larger cultural conversation.”
To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-zipcoders-abc-comedy-juvee-productions-viola-davis-1201901884/

 

Viola Davis Inks Overall Development Deal With ABC Studios

By goodblacknews on April 28, 2016
Viola Davis ABC Studios deal
Viola Davis (ROB LATOUR/VARIETY/REX SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
On the heels of announcing its overall pact with “Scandal” lead Kerry Washington, ABC is similarly vying more hits from Viola Davis — this time, with the Emmy winner stepping behind the camera.  The “How To Get Away with Murder” star’s production company JuVee Productions has entered into an overall deal with ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios.
Under the new pact, JuVee Productions — which Davis founded with her husband, Julius Tennon — will develop new projects for broadcast, cable, streaming services and digital platforms.
Additionally, JuVee has also hired Bravo’s Andrew Wang to serve as the company’s head of television development and production. At Bravo, Wang was vice president of scripted television development and production and was responsible for the cabler’s first scripted series, comedy “Odd Mom Out,” drama “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce” and the upcoming dark comedy “My So-Called Wife.” He was at Bravo for four years.
“We started JuVee because we wanted to see narratives that reflected our multi-ethnic and multifaceted culture,” Davis commented. “We wanted to be a part of classic storytelling, and we didn’t want to wait.”

To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/viola-davis-abc-studios-deal-juvee-productions-1201762447/

Viola Davis & Debra Martin Chase Team Up with "Empire" Writer Ayanna Floyd for TNT Drama Inspired by Michigan Prosecutor Kym Worthy

By goodblacknews on March 23, 2016

Viola Davis Kym Worthy
Viola Davis (l) and Kym Worthy (r) [image via deadline.com)
article by Nellie Andreeva via deadline.com
TNT is now developing Conviction, a legal drama inspired by the life of Kym Worthy, the chief prosecutor of Wayne County, MI, known as the toughest woman in Detroit.
Chase 1
Debra Martin Chase (photo via deadline.com)

How To Get Away With Murder star Viola Davis is executive producing the project with Debra Martin Chase (Sparkle). Empire co-executive producer Ayanna Floyd is writing the script and executive producing. The project was originally developed at ABC during the 2014-2015 season with another writer. ABC has a legal drama pilot Conviction this season, which is unrelated to this project.
Worthy became the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan when she was appointed chief prosecutor of Wayne County in 2004. She is known for a number of high-profile cases, like filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and her campaign to clear a massive backlog of 11,000 unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit.
Floyd
Ayanna Floyd (photo via deadline.com)

Davis and and her producing partner Julius Tennon executive produce through their JuVee Productions, Martin Chase through her Martin Chase Prods. Both companies have deals with ABC Studios, which originally developed the project when it was at ABC but is not actively involved in the TNT version. Also executive producing are Floyd as well as Kim Swann and Leah Keith who brought Worthy’s story to Hollywood. Worthy is a consultant.
To read original article, go to: http://deadline.com/2016/03/conviction-legal-drama-kym-worthy-viola-davis-debra-martin-chase-empire-tnt-1201724486/

Viola Davis To Star in ABC Drama Pilot "How To Get Away With Murder" Produced By Shonda Rhimes

By goodblacknews on March 1, 2014

davisAccording to Deadline.com, Viola Davis (The Help, Doubt) has been cast as the lead of ABC‘s drama pilot How To Get Away With Murder, from ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes‘ (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) Shondaland. This marks the first series regular role in over a decade for the Oscar-nominated actress (her last was on CBS’ Century City).  In making her foray into television pilot season, Davis joins The Help co-star Octavia Spencer, who recently signed to star in the Fox drama pilot The Red Band Society.
Written by Peter Nowalk, How To Get Away With Murder is described as a sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller that centers on ambitious law students and their brilliant and mysterious criminal defense professor (Davis) who become entangled in a murder plot that could rock their entire university and change the course of their lives. Nowalk is executive producing alongside Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
This is the second consecutive drama pilot in which Rhimes has booked an A-list black actress for the lead, following Scandal and Kerry Washington. Though primarily a feature film actress now, in the past few years, Davis had recurring roles on Law & Order and The United States Of Tara. She recently wrapped production on the independent film Lila & Eve opposite Jennifer Lopez, which was produced by Davis’ JuVee Prods. company.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson; story contributed by Becky Schonbrun