‘Studio 8 is stepping up to the plate in expanding the superhero genre. Seith Mann has been hired by Studio 8 to adapt the comic series BLACK which explores the idea if what only black people had superpowers? The company plans to franchise the IP and also develop the follow up comic BLACK [AF]:America’s Sweetheart which has a female lead.
The series comes from co-creator/writer Kwanza Osajyefo, co-creator/designer Tim Smith 3, artist Jamal Igle and cover artist Khary Randolph. Mann, who co-created The Breaks and directed the pilot for VH-1, has also directed episodes of The Wire, Homeland, Friday Night Lights and The Walking Dead.
BLACK looks at an increasingly polarized world where — after inexplicably surviving being gunned down by police due to racial profiling — young Kareem Jenkins joins a secret underground group of black superheroes and must choose between personal revenge or collective action to achieve real and lasting change.
Studio 8’s head Jeff Robinov early on worked for Albert and Allen Hughes during the beginning of their careers when they pumped out Menace II Society and Dead Presidents and as their agent at ICM fought for their creative vision to be realized. That relationship continues still to this day as the Studio 8, Albert Hughes-directed Alpha bows Aug. 17. Guy Danella and Rishi Rajani are overseeing the project for Studio 8.
While Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3 are attached as co-producers, Matteo Pizzolo of Black Mask Studios is producing.
This Wednesday (April 25) is the launch of a new BLACK comic book mini-series called BLACK [AF]: Widows And Orphans about two of the series’ characters hunting down traffickers of empowered black children.
Mann is repped by CAA, Writ Large Management, and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano. ‘
Via Deadline
The Book to Screen Club 