JAY-Z to produce Netflix thriller ‘Forty Acres’
The film adaption of Dwayne Alexander Smith’s novel has been described as a cross between Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ and ‘The Firm.’
JAY-Z is set to produce a film adaptation of Dwayne Alexander Smith’s novel Forty Acres for Netflix. The movie has been described as a cross between Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Tom Cruise’s 1993 movie, The Firm. JAY’s addition to the production team follows his work on The Harder They Fall, which will star Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield and Regina King.
According to Deadline, Forty Acres follows a Civil Rights attorney fighting for his life after he’s invited to join an elite Black organization with a “mind-blowing” secret. Hov will join forces with James Lassiter, Aaron Kaplan, Niles Kirchner and Bill Strauss as producers on the picture, while Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker is on board as a writer.
The book’s author, Smith, will also executive produce Forty Acres, along with Mike Epps and Dana Honor.
Lassiter, who also teamed up with JAY on The Harder They Fall, is known for his work with Will Smith. The longtime film partners have spawned blockbusters like The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Seven Pounds and I, Robot.
At the same time, Hov will also produce his and Will Smith’s newly announced “Women of the Movement.” The six-episode limited series will air on ABC and follows the story of Mamie Till Mobley — Emmett Till’s mother who dedicated her life to Civil Rights activism after white supremacists murdered her son in 1955.
JAY has also embarked on other business ventures this month. The “Entrepreneur” rapper recently invested in the fitness startup CLMBR. The move arrived shortly after his wife, Beyoncé, partnered with Peloton to create homecoming-inspired workouts.
“We are excited to work with JAY-Z and Novak to bring the best modality in fitness to consumers,” CLMBR CEO Avrum Elmakis announced at the time.
Hov also launched his own cannabis brand, Monogram, late last month.