Gabrielle Union, Jeremy Pope to star in LGBTQ+ drama ‘The Inspection’
The film is based on the life experience of Elegance Bratton
Gabrielle Union is set to star in LGBTQ+ drama The Inspection alongside Jeremy Pope, and this film will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen her in before.
According to The Wrap, The Inspection is based on the life experience of Elegance Bratton, who last year directed the documentary Pier Kids about homeless trans youth, which ultimately went on to win an Independent Spirit Award.
In this latest project, Pope will star as a young gay man enlisting in the Marines, with Union co-starring as the mother, whose approval he’s desperate to receive.
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Effie T. Brown of Dear White People will be producing the drama and is excited to see this narrative finally come to life.
“Elegance brings authenticity, heart and a fresh perspective to this compelling autobiographical story and we are thrilled to have Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union on board to bring it to life,” said Brown said in a statement.
“I’ve long admired the excellent work of our partners at A24 and it’s exciting for Gamechanger to partner with a company that is equally committed to bringing diverse and captivating stories to the forefront of entertainment.”
Everyone loves a “Shady Baby”
Union, who is also starring and exec producing a new “Cheaper by the Dozen,” also recently made headlines for joining forces with former NBA superstar husband Dwyane Wade to pen a children’s book in honor of their daughter, Kaavia James.
As we previously reported, as the youngest member of the Union-Wade pack, 3-year-old Kaavia has made her mark on the world, earning the nickname #ShadyBaby, due to her no-nonsense demeanor and unenthused, yet adorable, facial expressions.
“We came up with the idea of the children’s book from Kaav. We’ve let who she becomes lead us,” Union explained in an interview with theGrio.
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“The more we were starting to see how folks were interacting with her and her page, we noticed how people believe she writes her own captions (lol) but that many people saw her and her “shade” as freedom. So we wanted to develop a children’s book that positioned black girls as leaders and shade as their superpower. When you think of shade and think of Kaav being “shady,” it’s because someone has not respected her boundaries or has done something she doesn’t like.”
“Shady Baby and the main character is just being evident on good behavior, bad behavior, and a little Black girl leading the account with her friends. It’s sweet and accessible, but rooted in freedom to lead, freedom to be vulnerable, freedom to see accountability as a great thing.”
“We try to allow Kaavia to be just Kaavia–we try not to put any restraints on her,” explained Wade. “We love to see her Black girl joy. We want her to be, unapologetically, Kaavia James Union-Wade, Whatever that means. She’s into everything and has a full schedule. We fill her day with educational things, some athletic things, social things. She’s starting soccer and languages next. In between all of that, she has so many playdates requests; it’s hard to keep up!”
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