Warner Bros. has rescheduled the release date for “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
The historical biopic, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield, will debut on Feb. 17, 2021. Prior to Tuesday night’s announcement, the studio had delayed the movie to early 2021 but hadn’t set an exact date. “Judas and the Black Messiah” was initially scheduled for August of 2020, however, it was postponed because of the pandemic.
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” along with the rest of Warner Bros. slate for the next 12 months, is landing simultaneously on the company’s streaming service HBO Max and in theaters. “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Dune” and “The Matrix 4” are among the 18 films following the day-and-date hybrid release strategy. Those titles will be available on HBO Max for a month.
Warner Bros. recently made additional changes to its calendar, shifting around plans for “Mortal Kombat,” “Tom and Jerry” and Hugh Jackman’s sci-fi drama “Reminiscence.” “Reminiscence” was taken off the release schedule, while the other two movies were moved to new dates in 2021.
“Judas and the Black Messiah” was directed by Shaka King and written by King and Will Berson, based on a story by King, Berson and brothers Kenny and Keith Lucas. The film is based on the life and assassination of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton. Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback and Martin Sheen round out the cast.
Ryan Coogler, the director of Marvel’s superhero blockbuster “Black Panther,” produced the film. In a virtual panel in August, he said he was “blown away” when King pitched him the project.
“Chairman Fred Hampton is somebody whose life work, and the story of his assassination, has been relevant since the day [it] happened and only continues to become more relevant with context,” Coogler said. “But I also think that Shaka’s point of view, and how he wanted to tell the story, was also something that’s extremely relevant, as well.”