Jada Pinkett Smith has signed on to star in Redd Zone for Netflix, a film based on the true story of Tia Magee, a single mother whose sons are part of the high school football team.
Magee helped her sons and their football teammates heal after the murder of their best friend, Dominic Redd. Members of the team began moving into her house, and soon 17 were living under her roof. Eventually, every member of the team went to college, with four of them making it all the way to the NFL. The film will be dedicated to Redd’s memory.
Matthew A. Cherry will direct the film, with Kristin Layne Tucker penning the script. Cherry previously co-directed 2019 animated short Hair Love, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short, and currently has a series based on the film titled Young Love in development for HBO Max.
Cherry has also helmed episodes of Kenan, the Saved By The Bell revival, and The Wonder Years revival. He’s also set to direct upcoming comedy heist film The Come Up. Redd Zone should have a special meaning to him as well, as he briefly played in the NFL as a wide receiver in the mid-2000s.
Tucker previously wrote for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, which garnered her an Emmy nomination. She’s also on board to write the upcoming second season of The Flight Attendant.
Pinkett Smith recently reprised her role as Niobe in The Matrix Resurrections, which was her first film appearance since 2019’s Angel Has Fallen. She will also serve as a producer for Redd Zone, as will Westbrook Studios, with Brandon Magee and Will Smith on board as executive producers.
#Peace.Love.ReddZone
