The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
THREE years after film producer Sean McKittrick gave the world a surprise commercial and critical hit in racially charged blockbuster flick Get Out, he has teamed up with Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Arnold Chirisa and other Hollywood stars to make Antebellum, a movie that seems primed for big things at the box office.
On Antebellum, Chirisa will line-up alongside music star Janelle Monáe, Marque Richardson II, Eric Lang, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe, Rob Aramayo, Lily Cowles, and Jena Malone.
McKittrick was the force behind Get Out, a film that follows Chris Washington (Kaluuya), a young African-American man who uncovers a disturbing secret when he meets the family of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Williams).
Get Out, which was theatrically released in the United States on February 24, 2017, by Universal Pictures, went on to gross $255 million worldwide on a $4,5 million budget, with a net profit of $124 million, making it the tenth-most profitable film of 2017.
Antebellum has been described by Lionsgate, the studio behind the movie, as a terrifying thriller. It released its trailer last week.
According to the official synopsis, the movie centres on successful author Veronica Henley (played by Monáe), who “finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.”
The movie’s one-minute long trailer did not give many clues about the nature of the nature of the mysteries that the lead character is set to encounter. However, the movie seems to be premised on a scenario where Monáe, portraying a character that is clearly a strong and empowered modern woman of colour, is thrust back in time into the era of American slavery.
For Chirisa, the movie might present him with his biggest role yet, as he will be flanked by some of Hollywood’s greatest talents both in front and behind the camera.
Antebellum opens in theatres on April 24, 2020 and promises to keep audiences intrigued and on the edge of their seats.
