Common Producing Cooley High Remake

[MartyMcFly]

Cooley High has been set for a remake at MGM with DeVon Franklin, Common and Tony Krantz partnering on the seminal 1975 coming-of-age drama. Seth Rosenfeld will write the script. Set in 1960s Chicago and focused on a group of high school pals with big dreams of getting out of the South Side, Cooley High fell in with a series of terrific coming-of-age films that included American Graffiti, The Lords Of Flatbush and The Wanderers.

Beyond that, the original became influential in African-American storytelling, in that it told a complex depiction of life as a black American and didn’t fit the blaxploitation mold of the time. The Michael Schultz-directed film cost $750,000 to make, and grossed more than $13 million. Lighthearted at times, Cooley High also addressed serious topics like gang violence, masculinity and sexism, and the value of education in the black community. That made it fertile ground for Franklin, the former Sony exec who has focused on films with uplifting content; the Chicago-native Common (who with John Legend shared the Oscar for Best Song for Selma); and Krantz, whose father Steve Krantz produced the original film. They felt it a timely project in light of the racial unrest that has followed several high-profile shootings throughout the country.

Franklin will produce through his Franklin Entertainment, Common under Freedom Road Productions, and Krantz through Flame Ventures. Drew Comins will executive produce for Flame Ventures along with Derek Dudley for Freedom Road. Jonathan Glickman and Adam Rosenberg will oversee the project for MGM, which is coming off the success of Me Before You, which it produced. That pic starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin based on Jojo Moyes’ bestseller has grossed $172.9M worldwide since Warner Bros released it last month.

‘Cooley High’ Remake For MGM, DeVon Franklin, Common & Tony Krantz

If done right, this could be very very interesting given current events and Chicago's current landscape.

 

[Rekkapryde]

If the script is good and he gets a good director, it could work.

 

[wire28]

will they extend their hand in peace

During an appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” last week, the Oscar and Golden Globe winner explained why black people should extend a hand to white people and “forget about the past” as it pertains to race relations.

“If we’ve been bullied, we’ve been beat down and we don’t want it anymore. We are not extending a fist and we are not saying, ‘You did us wrong.’ It’s more like, ‘Hey, I’m extending my hand in love,’” he said to host Jon Stewart. “Let’s forget about the past as much as we can and let’s move from where we are now. How can we help each other? Can you try to help us because we are going to try to help ourselves, too.”

To underscore his resolution, the Chicago native went on to state how focusing on racism from the past is similar to reiterating negative issues within relationships.

“Me as a black man, I’m not sitting there like, ‘Hey, white people, y’all did us wrong.’ We know that existed,” Common said. “I don’t even have to keep bringing that up. It’s like being in a relationship and continuing to bring up the person’s issues. Now I’m saying, ‘Hey, I love you. Let’s move past this. Come on, baby, let’s get past this.’”