Brian Tyree Henry has signed on for a key role in Flint Strong, a drama that marks the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound). The project has also moved from Universal to MGM.
Filming actually already commenced on the film all the way back in March of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project indefinitely. Henry takes over one of the lead roles from Ice Cube, who worked on the film for just two days before production shut down.
The film is a boxing drama based on Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper‘s 2015 documentary, T-Rex. It will tell the true story of Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields – played by the already announced Ryan Destiny – a 17-year-old Flint, Michigan native whose dreams of becoming the first woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing came to fruition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) adapted the screenplay and is also producing. Elishia Holmes will oversee the project for MGM, who will also distribute the film.
Henry is best known for his role on Atlanta, and has a good-looking 2022 film slate coming up, including David Leitch‘s action film Bullet Train and Lila Neugebauer‘s drama Red, White And Water. He’s also currently filming FX series Class Of ’09.
Despite the long delay, Flint Strong sounds like an interesting drama, and it’s always fascinating to see what cinematographers can do when they’re put in charge of their own movie. Filming will finally resume next week in Toronto.
#Peace.Love.FlintStrong
