Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Angela Thomas, Fox 2000’s adaptation of The Hate U Give begins principal photography in Atlanta on September 12, 2017, and will be released by 20th Century Fox. Anthony Mackie (Million Dollar Baby, The Hurt Locker) and Kian Lawley (Before I Fall) join the cast. Mackie will play the local drug dealer King and Kian will play Starr’s boyfriend, Chris.
The Hate U Give is a timely, powerful and thought-provoking story of race and identity, told from the perspective of Starr Carter, played by Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, As You Are). Starr is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. What Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Directed by George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Men of Honor, Notorious) from a screenplay by Tina Mabry (Insecure, Queen Sugar, Mississippi Damned) and Audrey Wells (Under the Tuscan Sun), The Hate U Give also stars Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby as Starr’s parents Lisa and Maverick and features Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, and Common.
The Hate U Give by Angela Thomas has to date spent 27 weeks on The New York Times young adult best-seller list after debuting at No.1. The film rights were picked up by Fox 2000, with Temple Hill and State Street Pictures on board as production partners. The film’s producers are Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Bob Teitel.
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