Rising star Jodie Turner-Smith will star opposite Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya in Universal Pictures and Makeready’s “Queen & Slim.”
“Insecure” helmer Melina Matsoukas is set to make her feature directing debut from a script by Lena Waithe.
The story follows a couple after they’re stopped by the police and how it affects their lives.
Makeready is financing the film. Waithe is producing via her company Hillman Grad Productions, along with Matsoukas via her production company De La Revolución Films; James Frey with his 3BlackDot; Andrew Coles; and Michelle Knudsen. Pam Abdy will oversee the film on behalf of Makeready.
“Queen & Slim” will be distributed by Universal Pictures worldwide with eOne handling theatrical distribution in select territories. The film is set for release in North America on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27, 2019. This is the first film greenlit under Makeready’s recently announced distribution deal with Universal. eOne is Makeready’s lead investor.
Turner-Smith will next be seen in “Nightflyers” for Netflix. Her other credits include “The Last Ship” for TNT, “Mad Dogs” for Amazon, and “True Blood” for HBO, as well as a variety of independent films such as Nicolas Winding Refn’s “The Neon Demon” and Drake Doremus’ “The Newness.”
She is repped by Untitled, UTA, and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal.