'Everybody Hates Chris' Creator to Direct Film About Police Brutality in a Time Loop

A new drama about a black teen becoming the victim of police brutality is in the works, with Ali LeRoi helming the project. The co-creator and executive producer of Everybody Hates Chris and the Are We There Yet? series is going to direct The Obituary of Tunde Johnson, according to Deadline.

The indie drama is penned by Nigerian-born USC student Stanley Kalu, who won the first million-dollar screenplay competition from The Launch, a fellowship created to find screenwriters around the world. The story follows a wealthy, black high school student who finds himself stuck in an endless loop of police brutality. This project is anchored by a pretty terrifying concept, and it's unclear who is currently set to play the lead, but it'll definitely be interesting to see how this story unfolds on the big screen. Production for the film is slated to begin later in October.

This news comes as The Hate U Give takes on its third week at the box office. The film starring Amandla Stenberg and Issa Rae was adapted from the New York Times best-selling young adult novel by Angie Thomas. Thomas released The Hate U Give back in February 2017, and the book quickly received praise for drawing inspiration from the Black Lives Matter movement to tell the story of a young black teen named Starr Carter, who witnesses the police fatally shooting her unarmed, childhood friend Khalil during a traffic stop.

The Hate U Give takes its name from 2Pac’s acronym for Thug Life: “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone.” The film is currently in theaters everywhere.