'GIRLS TRIP' & 'THE BEST MAN' DIRECTOR, MALCOLM D. LEE AND HIS BLACKMALED PRODUCTIONS LOCK A FIRST-LOOK PRODUCTION PACT WITH UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Right before the release of their upcoming production “Girl’s Trip” directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Universal Pictures has locked a first-look production agreement with writer, director and producer Malcolm D. Lee and his Blackmaled Productions. The word-of-mouth on his newest comedy (“Girl’s Trip” ) is strong, and the “raunchy comedy with something for everyone” is set to open, in North America on July 21.  

The news has hit all of the trader papers and African-American twitter is buzzing.  The announcement was made by Peter Cramer, President of Production, Universal Pictures.

“Starting with The Best Man, Malcolm has an incredible track record telling resonant stories that make audiences laugh and cry, which he has done brilliantly once again with Girls Trip,” said Cramer.  “We are thrilled to formalize our long-standing relationship with Malcolm by welcoming his company to the lot, and we are excited about making many more films with him, starting with his next film, Night School.” 

“I am extremely gratified to officially be a part of the Universal family,” said Lee.  “This is a place I’ve always considered my home.  They have respected and been supportive of my vision as a filmmaker, and I hope to continue the great success that I’ve had at Universal as we continue this fruitful partnership.”

Malcom Lee is related to Spike Lee and with his strong family roots deeply embedded in the arts, entertainment and education, he has  been making films since the age of 12, and has been working professionally in the entertainment industry since age 17 as a production assistant, apprentice film editor, casting associate and director’s assistant to his cousin, the aforementioned legendary filmmaker Spike Lee. 

To his credit, Lee has directed five of his nine films to date with Universal beginning with his directorial debut, the critically acclaimed audience favorite “The Best Man,” which debuted in October of 1999, and scored a No. 1 ranking at the box office. The film’s ensemble cast starred Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Regina Hall, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan and Monica Calhoun.  He went on to direct the action-comedy “Undercover Brother,” which starred Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle and Neil Patrick Harris in May 2002 and again earned stellar reviews.  His third feature, “Roll Bounce,” starring “Bow Wow”, Mike Epps, Nick Cannon, and Meagan Good debuted in September 2005.

Producer Will Packer (Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises, Almost Christmas) presents Girls Trip, a new comedy from director/producer Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut).

With his next two films, Lee continued to use his voice to tell the heartfelt and nuanced stories of lives not often seen in mainstream studio films with the comedies “Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins,” starring Martin Lawrence, Mo’Nique, and Cedric The Entertainer, and “Soul Men” starring Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac.  Both films opened in 2008.  However it was the sequel to his first film where Lee scored his biggest box-office hit.  In November of 2013, with the original cast reunited, “The Best Man Holiday,” grossed $30.5 million in its opening weekend alone, pleasing audiences and shocking the industry with a game-changing debut.  April of 2016 saw the release of the critically acclaimed, “Barbershop, The Next Cut” starring Ice Cube, Regina Hall, Cedric the Entertainer, and Anthony Anderson, and this week will see his latest film “Girls Trip,” starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish.

Among his upcoming feature projects, Lee is in pre-production to direct his sixth directorial outing with Universal, “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart, and produced by Hart and Will Packer, as well as the next installment of the popular Best Man franchise, “The Best Man Wedding,” which he will write and direct. 

Lee and his Blackmaled Productions were represented in the deal by Paradigm and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano.

You deserve this. Watch the new #GirlsTrip trailer. -- Facebook - http://unvrs.al/GTFB Twitter - http://unvrs.al/GTTW Instagram - http://unvrs.al/GTIN Official site: http://unvrs.al/GTSite -- Producer Will Packer (Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises, Almost Christmas) presents Girls Trip, a new comedy from director/producer Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut).

When four lifelong friends—Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish—travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.  Producer Will Packer (Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises, upcoming Almost Christmas) presents Girls Trip, a new comedy from director/producer Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut). James Lopez, head of motion pictures for Will Packer Productions, and Preston Holmes, executive produce.

Genre: Comedy      
Cast: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Larenz Tate, Kate Walsh, Mike Colter, Kofi Siriboe
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Screenplay by: Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver
Story by: Erica Rivinoja and Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver
Produced by: Will Packer, Malcolm D. Lee
Executive Producers: Preston Holmes, James Lopez

Girls Trip directed by Malcom Lee, is set to open in North America on July 21.  

About Universal Pictures

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Tupac’s legacy, the Hip Hop Culture, & how it shaped the society today - "All Eyez On Me" panel discussion in Harlem NYC

Somewhere on the spiritual plane prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur was looking down and smiling at the assembled guests at Harlem’s Maysles Documentary Center last week.

The drinks flowed and the assorted guests of media influencers — African American, Latino and South Asian representing Indian brown — chowed down on delicious fried chicken and macaroni and cheese (as good as your Grandmother’s grandmother made). The tone was set.  We were amongst our tribe and feeling nostalgic marking the years using Tupac’s music as the measuring stick.

Tupac was born on June 16, 1971. He died on September 13, 1996. He was 25 years old.  

The panel discussion was moderated, Harlem style, by Hip Hop cultural experts Tuma and AJ from Spotify the topic of discussion was on Tupac’s legacy, the Hip Hop Culture, and how it shaped society today.   

On June 16th the bio pic about his life and legacy opens wide in the U.S..  Directed by Benny Boom and produced by the visionary LT Hutton, the film introduces Demetrius Shipp, Jr. in the role of Tupac and Dominic Santana as Suge Knight. The cast also includes Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, Jamal Woolard, and Danai Gurira.

L.T. Hutton, who worked with Tupac when he was living, made it crystal clear that as the producer of “All Eyez On Me” the film was going to do much more than just entertain—it’s true mission is to educate and illuminate the story of a man and his legacy.  

In that determination Shakur is telling his own story and Hutton drew on his personal relationship with the rapper as the foundation for a massive database he calls “The Tupac Bible.” “I created this system where you could ask any question about Tupac and you could find the answers directly from what Tupac said in multiple interviews,” Hutton explains. “Why was Tupac mad at Notorious B.I.G.? How did Tupac feel about his natural father? Anything you wanted to know, we were going to stick with what Tupac said and put his own words into the movie. That’s why it took such a long time to make. I needed people to understand the vision.”

It’s no secret that finding the right director required an extensive search and one that producer LT Hutton took very seriously.  A few weeks before filming was scheduled to start, in Atlanta, Hutton reached out to Benny Boom, a two-time winner of B.E.T.’s Video Director of the Year Award who had helmed videos for hip-hop superstars including Nicki Minaj, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Keyshia Cole, Akon and 50 Cent. 

Boom remembers getting the call on the Wednesday before the holiday.  “L.T. said, ‘Man, I’m at my wits’ end.’ At the end of the call he asked me if I wanted to direct the movie. I had not read the full draft of the script, so he sent it over. I printed it out, read it and told him, ‘I’m in.’ By Sunday I was in Atlanta.”

Here is a brief excerpt of the nights’ evening which begun and ended with the feeling—truly—that we were all a part of a cinematic history making moment.

On Casting:

In Hutton’s Los Angeles office in 2011. The producer recalls, “My assistant came into my office and said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this but, Tupac is in the lobby.’ I said, ‘I don’t have time for your games today.’ She goes ‘I’m telling you, Tupac is in the lobby.’ I decide to see what this girl is talking about, so I walk out and see Demetrius Shipp sitting in the lobby. I’m like, ‘Lo and behold, this is crazy. It is Tupac!’ He was so shy, just like Pac was shy sometimes. I saw the innocence in his eyes; I saw the charm and personality that made all the women love Tupac. And when Demetrius smiled, I thought, ‘This guy even has the same dental work. Demetrius and Tupac have the same teeth!”

Actor Dominic Santana who plays Death Row Records mogul Suge Knight went through the casting process. “It never dawned on me that I could play Suge Knight,” Santana says. “Suge did things in the ’90s as a label owner that weren’t being done by anyone else. He had an ear for talent. He brought us iconic music legends. You can’t amass that kind of an empire and make that kind of impact on the music business if you’re just some Neanderthal. I felt the mediaprobably left out things about Suge Knight just to paint a certain picture. I came into All Eyez on Me with the attitude, ‘I want to know the other side of Suge Knight.’”

“All Eyez On Me” opens Friday, June 16th

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Javier Bardem is a ghost on quest to revenge on Jack Sparrow

There are some actors that could—literally—read anything and make it exciting. If they wanted to read the ingredients on a candy wrapper and make you weep, or quake in fear their natural abilities could and would produce their desired impact. Those thespians are rare: Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones spring to mind, and so does Oscar® winner Javier Bardem.

Right now Bardem can be seen as the vengeful, cursed undead, Captain Salazar in Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the fifth film in the now-iconic “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise, which returns Johnny Depp to his Academy Award®-nominated role as the outrageous, swashbuckling scoundrel Captain Jack Sparrow. Bardem is joined in this new adventure with Oscar® winner Geoffrey Rush.

Everything about the film is created to make it have that wow impact which includes the very look of the Captain Salazar’s (Bardem) ghostly crew and his particularly gnarly look, half spectral with a deterioration of corporeal flesh and fresh, red blood oozing from his mouth, taking charge of his doomed and cursed ship — The Silent Mary.

The ship which was designed by architect/production designer Nigel Phelps, was inspired to make the ship a “floating Spanish castle” with turrets, swiveling cannons on deck, and statues of medieval knights in full armor adorning her decks and exterior.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters May 26, 2017 in 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D! Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

According to the press notes, The “cursed” version of the Silent Mary presented a fascinating contrast, a symphony of picturesque deterioration: large gaps in its rotting wood structure; seaweed crawling up the mainsail; kelp adorning the fraying ropes; turrets, cannons, statues, weaponry, all now covered in slimy green moss. The former pride of the Spanish Navy now a terrifying spectre, much like its cursed undead Captain Salazar.

Actors work with their surroundings. The more convincing to them, the better it plays to a world-wide audience. “Both ships are a work of art,” says Javier Bardem of the two versions of the Silent Mary, “but especially the ship that is cursed and becomes the ghost ship. It was mesmerizing and what I felt being on it was the sadness; this eternal pain I always imagined my character and his crew were carrying for so many years because of the curse. The pre-cursed one was the opposite. It was shiny and powerful and completely indestructible. And that’s what the character of Salazar is like when he’s alive. He’s very keen to be the king of the sea and the ship reflected that.”

Bardem is an unconventionally handsome man to get his ghostly look just right, it took him two to three hours a day in the chair under the artful care of Academy Award®-winning makeup and hair designer Peter King. “It’s pretty amazing what they’ve done with the makeup,” notes the actor. “Once it’s on, it really helps you to get in the mood. But also, it doesn’t kill your expression. My greatest fear was that I would not be able to show emotion or feeling with the prosthetics on my face, but that was not the case. I could do that, which is where you see the quality of those makeup artists. So yes, it was a long process of being in the chair every day, but also very rewarding because it helped me to see myself like that and to find the character.”

Describing Salazar and the ghost crew, Bardem notes, “I think they are people who have been abandoned and dead inside, but there is kind of a living rage, a flame of life that they are constantly seeking. They are not figures of death, but of life that could happen soon, and they are trying to reach it.” Adds Peter King, “Creating Salazar and his ghost crew took some three months of concept work, throwing ideas backwards and forwards between Espen and Joachim, Jerry and myself, and my team.”

Filmmaking is a team effort and to that end, director Joachim Rønning add this, “Part of the idea for Salazar and his crew was that on the day that they die inside the Devil’s Triangle, Jack had tricked them into sailing in there. They can still walk around but they may be missing part of their attire and limbs, and some are even missing half their heads. So it’s quite scary, but it’s also a little bit of fun in that they’re walking around with just half a brain.” They’re caught between the living and the dead.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters May 26, 2017 in 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D! Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” now playing.

Director Salome Mulugeta’s Favorite DP, Pedro Gomez Millan - One To Watch For!

Director of Photography (DP) Pedro Gomez Millan is one of the most favorite DP of Director Salome Mulugeta. Pedro's creative eye and passion for visual storytelling has made him one of the most sought after, new DP’s in the industry.  His role as DP is essentially, a creative force which helps shape what’s on screen and is just as influential as the film director. Together the director and DP create a unique visual language.

As DP of the indie film “Woven” directed by Salome Mulugeta and Nagwa Ibrahim, his powerful imagery—about an Ethiopian New York immigrant family facing lifes’ toughest challenges—has been bringing cheering audiences to their feet around the film festival circles. “Woven,” which took 15 years to finance and complete, has catapulted filmmaker, Salome Mulugeta’s creative career to an all time high and helped him, as a DP, bring his own look into the issues that immigrants face.

Mulugeta has also worked with DP Gomez on several high profile commercials including work for Ethiopian Airlinesand Coca-Cola Africa.  It was the experience of working for Coca-Cola, for the director, that helped her solidify their continued collaborative working relationship, shares Salome: 

“There are many attributes, as a creative, that make working with him [Pedro Gomez Millan] so enjoyable. To begin, he is a a very focused man and once you begin trying to explain, your vision, he researches anything that he might not immediately understand. He is such a gentle soul which makes working with him such a fun and productive experience. He understands how to help me, as a director, get my vision from the page to the screen. He is utterly collaborative and he is brilliant with color. 

For example, while working on the Coca-Cola commercial, their team allowed us to come up with our own creative ideas. It was exciting! The client wanted us to be creative and as a DP [Pedro] was totally game. In the commercial when you see me dancing with the group of brightly dressed kids, again, this was the result of us (being given creative freedom by the client) collaborating in a very spontaneous way.   And that very commercial for Coke (Coca-Cola Africa) was a hit and well received all over Africa. That’s just one example of why working with DP Pedro Gomez Millan is a joy which ends with exceptional product, project-after-project.”

Millan is now in pre-production on a two projects: an untitled action Netflix series to be shot in Mexico City with director Manolo Caro and “ADDIS ABEKA” to be directed by Salome Mulugeta, who also serves as executive producer and produced by Stephanie Allain and Mel Jones to be shot, in Ethiopia, this fall. 

Here is excerpt from chat with Pedro Gomez Millan

Q: What do you love about being a D.P.?

Pedro Gomez Millan: When I was in High School and had to make a decision on what to study in college, I was completely overwhelmed because I was interested in every single subject, from physics to literature to genetics to political science. I had the hardest time choosing what to do. I ended up studying philosophy and communication and later on did an MFA in Film. I realized that working in film gives me the chance of studying all those other topics I couldn't do before. I'm fascinated about life and filmmaking gives me the chance of learning something new about it in every project I do. 

Q: A DP’s life requires travel and keeping up with everything that’s happening fast in the tech side of making movies. Yes?

PGM: Being a DP is a very particular lifestyle and personally I think is the best job in the world. I'm mesmerized by images and love to watch beauty in all it's manifestations. Whenever I'm making a film I think about one word: epiphany. I work towards creating a mood and an environment for an epiphany to happen to a character or somewhere in the story. I love being able to create images and tell stories that eventually could help my community to make a better life. Basically my work is to create imaginary able to generate epiphanies in people that watches it. I know, pretty ambitious!

Q: Describe the D.P. and Director relationship? 

PGM: It's the most intense and closest relationship I've experienced in my working life. It feels a lot like dating, you meet, you decide to like each other and give it a shot, you get to know each other under pressure and stressful times and then you finally break up. Maybe you liked each other so much that you decide to come back and do it again.

Q: Do you work closely with directors or do you act like “church” and “state?”

PGM: I've really had very close relationships with most of my directors and we've became good friends. I've directed before and I'm very aware of all the trust the director puts on a DP's shoulder when they decide to work together. And I can say that the feeling is mutual. I also think on Director and DP relationship like two blind people crossing together 5th Avenue right when it becomes green light. It's all about trust and knowing that the other person is gonna be there for you and that he or she won't throw you under the bus. Director and script are the most important things for me when I choose a new project.

Q I first saw your incredible work in “Woven” at the LAFF (2016) where I met Salome Mulugeta.  What an incredible person and what a journey to get the film from an idea to the big screen: 15 years is no joke!

PGM: I got connected to the script because it's a story about immigrants. I was born and raised in Mexico City and at the time I just finished film school and had been living in the U.S. for 4 years. So I'm an immigrant living in New York and felt like this script was made for me to shoot it. I didn't know a lot of Ethiopian culture but I could personally relate to the soul and core of the story. I felt like it was a story that people in New York would appreciate and I was very excited to visually contribute to tell the story as a DP. 

Q: Describe your choices in making “Woven” look so good. Why did you use what you used? 

PGM: I decided to shoot the movie mostly on the Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm. We shot on locations on tight apartments in New York and I wanted to feel the space as much as possible so I tried to use wide lenses whenever I could to avoid shooting faces against walls all the time. 

I shot [the character] Elenie with her family mostly handheld, we wanted to give a sense of urgency to Elenie's motivation in the story. It was very important to the directors to point out the rich culture of Elenie's family who comes from Ethiopia. We decided to visually tell that part of the story with warmer tones, opposite to Logan's which has a cooler vibe. Also we wanted both worlds (Elenie's home vs Logan's home) to feel very different. Whenever we shot at Logan's house the camera stayed locked off on the tripod more like a witness and definitely less active than the camera at Elenie's who's restless after the loss of her brother.     

I was very lucky to shoot this film on the Alexa which was my first choice. We had no money and I had to pull many favors to get a decent camera and G&E package (and anything I could get my hands on) to make this movie. Guy Jaconelli from Video Evolution gave us an unbeatable deal on a Alexa package.

Q: What’s next from your lips?

PGM: I am working with Salome, again, with the next feature film in Ethiopia. Really hope our schedules work out! I'm about to shoot the first season of a new series for Netflix. It's a 5 months commitment and is my first experience shooting television. I'm pretty excited!

More About Pedro Gomez Millan
www.pedrogomezmillan.com