Kasi Lemmons to Write and Direct Film Adaptation of Maaza Mengiste’s the Shadow King

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KASI LEMMONS TO WRITE AND DIRECT FILM ADAPTATION OF MAAZA MENGISTE’S THE SHADOW KING

FOR ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT

 

The Bestselling Novel was Released Last Year to Rave Reviews

 

Los Angeles, CA (April 16, 2020) – Fresh off the Academy Award nominated film “Harriet,” Kasi Lemmons has come on board to write and direct the adaptation of Maaza Mengiste’s critically acclaimed, bestselling, historical fiction novel The Shadow King for Atlas Entertainment, the company announced today. A gripping novel set during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the Ethiopian women soldiers who were left out of the historical record.

 

The project will be produced by Charles Roven, Richard Suckle and Executive Produced by Stephanie Haymes-Roven and Curt Kanemoto who will oversee the project for Atlas Entertainment.

 

“Kasi’s films are epic and intimate all at once,” stated Atlas Entertainment’s Roven and Suckle. “It makes her the perfect filmmaker to bring to life Maaza’s complex characters and compelling world captured in 'The Shadow King.’ We are thrilled to be working with her on such a special project.”

 

“Maaza Mengiste’s mesmerizing novel takes my breath away,” said Lemmons. “The imagery is so rich and powerful and the characters so vividly drawn, it naturally lends itself to adaptation. I’m very honored to be a part of bringing this brilliant book to the screen and I’m thrilled to be working with everyone at Atlas.”

 

Lemmon’s most recent film “Harriet” earned two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and ten NAACP Award nominations. In addition to her work on “Harriet,” Lemmons most recently executive produced the Netflix limited series “Self Made,” starring Octavia Spencer and directed two episodes of the series.

 

The Shadow King, which was published by W.W. Norton & Company in September 2019, received an abundance of praise and endorsements including being named one of Time Magazine’s “Must-Read Books of 2019” and was named a finalist for the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Fiction. Newsweek says of the novel, “In haunting and beautiful prose, Mengiste shines a light on those whose lives are not often heralded.”

The Shadow King is a story set in 1935 as Mussolini’s army invades Ethiopia and moves towards an easy victory.  Aster, the wife of a commander in Haile Selassie’s overwhelmed army, and her household servant Hirut long to do more than only care for the wounded and bury the dead. Together they offer a plan to maintain morale among Ethiopians, eventually becoming warriors and inspiring other women to take up arms against the Italians. 

Lemmons is repped by The Gersh Agency and lawyer Nina Shaw.

 

 

ABOUT ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT 

Atlas Entertainment, led by Academy Award® nominated producer Charles Roven, produces tent pole films, independent features, and series, which collectively have generated billions of dollars in revenues and worldwide critical acclaim. Atlas is currently in various stages of production on multiple films including “Wonder Woman 1984,” set for release by Warner Bros. on August 14, 2020;  “The Suicide Squad,” written and directed by James Gunn and set for release by Warner Bros. on August 6, 2021; “Uncharted,” which will soon begin production, starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas and directed by Ruben Fleischer, based on Sony PlayStation’s most successful game, which Sony Pictures has set for release October 8th 2021.  Atlas also Executive Produced  the animated Scooby-Doo feature “Scoob,” starring Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried, which Warner Bros. will release later this year. Atlas also serves as Executive Producers on the highly anticipated second season of the hit anthology series “Dirty John” entitled “Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story,” starring Amanda Peet and Christian Slater, coming June 2, 2020 to USA.

 

Among the 100 top-grossing films of all time, Atlas has produced four: “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Dark Knight,” “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and “Wonder Woman,” and at the global theatrical box office alone, Atlas’ films have earned over $2 billion in 2016 and over $1.6 billion in 2017.  Atlas’ most recent feature film, J.C. Chandor’s “Triple Frontier” starring Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal, was released by Netflix in March 2019 and watched by more than 63 million accounts and over 120 million people, making it Netflix’s fifth most popular original film ever.  Additional past feature film projects include David O. Russell’s award-winning “American Hustle” and “Three Kings,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” “Man of Steel,” “Justice League,” “Get Smart,” “The Bank Job, “Scooby-Doo,” “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” “City of Angels,” and “12 Monkeys.” 

 

For television, Atlas produced the first season of the hit anthology series “Dirty John,” based on the popular true crime podcast of the same name. The first season, which featured an all-star cast led by Connie Britton, Eric Bana, Juno Temple and Julia Garner, became the most-watched scripted series ever among total viewers for Bravo and was nominated for Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards. “What / If,” the social thriller anthology series created by Mike Kelley and starring Renee Zellweger and Jane Levy premiered on Netflix in May 2019. Atlas also produced the original series “12 Monkeys,” based on the 1995 Academy Award nominated film by the same title, which aired on SYFY for four seasons. Next in television, Atlas will executive produce the limited series “Evel”, based on the story of larger-than-life 70’s daredevil Evel Knievel as he prepares for his greatest death-defying feat, the historic Snake River Canyon jump. The show, which will air on USA, stars Milo Ventimiglia in the title role and is currently in pre-production.