On the heels of her Oscar-winning turn in Barry Jenkins‘ If Beale Street Could Talk, Regina King is moving from on camera to behind it. The actress will make her directorial debut with an adaptation of Kemp Powers‘ debut play, One Night In Miami.
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the play finds a young Cassius Clay fresh off his victory over Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title.
While thousands hit the night clubs of Miami Beach to party the night away, Jim Crow-era segregation laws forced Clay to celebrate at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighbourhood, where he was joined by three iconic friends: Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke, and football star Jim Brown.
In addition to discussing their private lives, the foursome also debated the responsibility of being successful black men during the civil rights movement. The next morning, they emerged from that room determined to define a new world.
The play reportedly strips the men of their myths and examines them as people, all set to a backdrop of Cooke’s timeless music. Powers is adapting his own play, and he and King are eager to explore what was discussed in that room, and how it affected the world for years to come.
Although this will mark King’s feature directorial debut, she’s been working steadily in TV for years. She’s directed multiple episodes of Scandal, Shameless and The Good Doctor. As an actress, she will next be seen in Damon Lindelof‘s HBO Watchmen series. One Night In Miami looks like a fascinating, enlightening project. It doesn’t get much better for a directorial debut.
Attention will now turn to who will be cast in the iconic roles.
#Peace.Love.OneNightInMiami
