Universal Pictures has released the first look for upcoming film Queen & Slim during Sunday night’s airing of the BET Awards.
Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Panther, Black Mirror) and Jodie Turner-Smith star as a young couple on a seemingly innocent first date night. Although, things take a turn for the worst when they get pulled over by a cop over a minor traffic violation, and Kaluuya’s character shoots the cop in self-defence.
The couple flee the scene as the moment is captured on camera and goes viral, and they become a symbol of trauma and grief in the country. The film will follow their journey on the run as they fall in love and become the ‘black Bonnie and Clyde’.
Read this script and fell in love with it. We are lucky that it exists. @LenaWaithe you are a marvel. Congratulations. X https://t.co/85AmOfg3tP
— Cynthia Erivo (@CynthiaEriVo) June 24, 2019
The film will be the directorial debut for Melina Matsoukas, who’s also directed Beyoncé’s Formation music video, and episodes from Issa Rae’s Insecure. The story was adapted by Lena Waithe (star and writer of Master of None), who wrote it based on an idea from author James Frey.
Speaking at CinemaCon earlier this year, Waithe called the film a ‘protest art’:
“It’s meant to get people talking. The film is not made to give the audience answers, but instead to ask questions and show what it looks like to be black and in love while the world is burning all around you.”
Because I’m tired of movies about police brutality and black people being helpless and so was @LenaWaithe ?? and those Donny Hathaway placements are everything!
— ♒️_irey__♒️ (@_irey___) June 24, 2019
The story of a police officer being killed by a black man has the potential to go wrong in so many ways, especially in America. But thankfully we can trust the team to show all the nuances in this situation and give us a thought-provoking film.
Queen & Slim will be released in theatres in November, and will be coming to Australia later in January 2020.
Featured image via Twitter @LenaWaithe.
