MGM+ greenlights four-part docuseries ‘Hollywood Black’ from Justin Simien, Forest Whitaker

MGM+ today announced a greenlight for the docuseries Hollywood Black, from Justin Simien’s Culture Machine, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions, and the Academy Award-winning creative production company RadicalMedia. Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries—directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People), whose upcoming Disney film Haunted Mansion will be released this summer—tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen, and in the credits. It is a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood, and a powerful reexamination of a quintessentially American story—in brilliant color.  

“We are thrilled to work with Justin Simien, Jeffrey Schwarz, RadicalMedia, and to expand our prolific creative partnership with Forest and Nina,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “Hollywood Black, like other recent MGM+ docuseries, is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a vital part of American culture, examining the evolution of Black cinema and the talented artists who built it. It is a timely and relevant look at the Black experience in Hollywood.” 

“Hollywood, like many American industries, was built on Black culture and Black talent, even though it excluded Black people from many of its origin stories,” said Justin Simien. “This series seeks to illuminate present-day controversies, from #OscarSoWhite to the almost regular ‘blackface reveal’ of prominent white celebrities, told through the lens of Black individuals throughout Hollywood history. It’s the most important story I’ve been able to tell to date, on such a large scale, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to tell it with this team.”

“We love collaborating with visionary filmmakers, so it’s an honor to team up with Justin Simien/Culture Machine and Radical Media on Hollywood Black, especially alongside such immense support from Michael Wright and MGM+,” said Forest Whitaker. “Through this meaningful exploration of Black history in cinema, we’re excited to celebrate its future.”

Culture Machine’s Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) and Kyle Laursen, Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi (Godfather of Harlem), and RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen (Summer of Soul) and Jeffrey Swartz will all serve as executive producers. Amy Goodman Kass is showrunner, and Simien is set to direct. The docuseries will be internationally distributed by MGM. 

Hollywood Black is the latest addition to MGM+’s library of acclaimed docuseries, including Amityville: An Origin Story, Murf the Surf, Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon, Helter Skelter, Slow Burn, My Life as a Rolling Stone, NFL Icons, and Blumhouse’s Compendium of Horror. 

Photos: Rick Proctor; Ron Adar/Shutterstock

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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