Jurnee Smollett, Misha Green in talks with Amazon for action film ‘Fuel’
The pair have worked together on numerous projects, from 'Underground' to 'Lovecraft Country'
According to Deadline, actress Jurnee Smollett and Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green are in talks with Amazon for an action film.
From the popular WGN America series, Underground, to HBO’s latest hit, Lovecraft Country, Green and Smollett have a rich history of working well together and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Now, Amazon Studios is reportedly in negotiations for Fuel, an action movie starring Smollett and produced by Green.
Read More: Misha Green to write, direct ‘ Tomb Raider’ sequel
The script, written by Kat Wood, is described as “an action-packed female empowerment story that will subvert the relationship between cars and masculinity.” According to Deadline, “The heroine is a getaway driver who is coerced into working for a criminal and breaking all the rules she set out for herself.”
Smollett herself is also attached to produce the film.
Both Green and Smollett have been enjoying the success of Lovecraft Country, which has received critical acclaim and numerous accolades. The fantasy drama was recently nominated for Best Drama Series at the Golden Globes and recently received a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the upcoming NAACP Image Awards.
When opening up to the New York Times about Lovecraft Country, Green broke down her inspiration for the series, explaining, “Every time people talk about ‘elevated horror,’ I ask, ‘What’s the problem with the not elevated horror?’ I love slasher films like ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’ But when I really started to think about this genre, I wondered, ‘Why don’t they have Black people, or why do the Black people have to die in the first 10 minutes?’”
Underground was a big success for both Green and Smollett. The critically acclaimed series won multiple NAACP Image Awards and even won a TCA Award for Outstanding New Program by the Television Critics Association. As theGrio previously reported, WGN canceled Underground after two seasons in 2017.
At the time, Tribune CEO Peter Kern said in a statement, “Despite Underground being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season.”
In January 2020, OWN aired a Revisiting Underground television special hosted by John Legend. The special featured “newly filmed episodic introductions by cast members, never-before-seen behind the scenes footage and more.” It featured original cast members Smollett, Aldis Hodge, Christopher Meloni, Alano Miller, and more.
Read More: Jurnee Smollett on Jussie, Hollywood and ‘no longer asking for a seat at the table’
Green has had plenty of exciting announcements since the debut of Lovecraft Country. Green is set to write and direct the next installment in the Tomb Raider franchise.
At the time of the announcement, Green used Twitter to share her excitement for Tomb Raider with her followers. She wrote in a tweet, “My fav from classic era is Legend & from survival era it’s a tie between Rise & Shadow. So I’m thinking something like:” before including a bunch of Tomb Raider-esque emojis.
She concluded the tweet writing, “*whispers* Who’s as excited as I am for a @TombRaiderMovie!?!? #TombRaider“
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