Shadow and Act

Twitter remains undefeated! In the wake of memes of Chris Evans reimagined with bonnets and long nails surfacing online, Twitter has taken it upon itself to reimagine more of our MCU faves in similar attire. Safe to say, the result is hilarious. Evans started a whole new wave when he tweeted a video featuring memes of himself, set to “Act Up” by the City Girls. This gave me a genuine belly laugh. https://t.co/BOmC7JUUdV — Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) June 3, 2019   Then it continued to take off: https://twitter.com/mcubabe/status/1135553429135400960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1135553429135400960%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b74776565745f6d65646961&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fshadowandact.com%2Ffrom-bonnets-to-acrylic-nails-these-twitter-memes-of-marvel-characters-have-taken-on-a-life-of-their-own     Of all the times for you to acknowledge stan twitter, it had to be now, huh? Amazing. pic.twitter.com/s1EC2AAbrK — beard/fluff enthusiast (@EvansBeard) June 3, 2019...

Editor’s Note: Although this review covers previously known facts about the Central Park Five case, it does not include intimate and specific plot details about Netflix miniseries When They See Us . Antron McCray. Kevin Richardson. Yusef Salaam. Raymond Santana. Korey Wise. You may not recognize these five names. But after watching Ava DuVernay’s powerful new Netflix miniseries, When They See Us, you will. Dubbed by the media as the “Central Park Five,” these men were just young boys, between the ages of 14-16, in 1989 when they were falsely accused of raping a young white woman jogger in Central Park. By renaming the limited series When They See Us (formerly titled Central Park Five ), prolific director Ava DuVernay seeks to reclaim the narrative that was told for so many years about these young boys who spent between 7-14 years behind bars before being exonerated by DNA evidence and a confession from the actual rapist. These men who have always maintained their innocence have...

The fifth season of Black Mirror is set to premiere on Netflix on June 5. Atypical of most anthology series, the fifth season of the provocative science fiction spectacle will only contain three episodes. A trailer for one of the episodes, “Striking Vipers,” has premiered. Starring Anthony Mackie, Nicole Beharie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the plotline for “Striking Vipers” is being kept under wraps. However, by the looks of the trailer it’s safe to say that romance will be a major theme. In the trailer, Beharie and Mackie are depicted as a couple trying to have a child. The Netflix synopsis for “Striking Vipers” states the episode is about “two estranged college friends who reunite later in life, triggering a series of events that could alter their lives forever.” Watch the trailer for the Black Mirror episode below. https://youtu.be/ssr40U3-do0  

SyFy has announced a series order for a TV adaptation of Vault Comics’ Vagrant Queen , starring a Black queen of a galactic kingdom who is on the run from those trying to kill her. Not only is this series one of the few out there to highlight Black women in sci-fi, but it is also going to be written and directed by a team only of women. The show has been described as a “fun, violent, snarky, space opera.” Here’s the official synopsis: “ Vagrant Queen follows Elida from child queen to orphaned outcast, as she scavenges the treacherous corners of the galaxy, always one step ahead of the Republic government out to extinguish her bloodline. When her old friend Isaac shows up claiming her mother Xevelyn is still alive, they head off with their new ally, Amae, to stage a rescue that will take her back into the perilous heart of her former kingdom and up against a deadly foe from her childhood, Commander Lazaro.” Adriyan Rae has been cast as Edlia and Tim Rozon as Isaac. Commander Lazaro...

Beyoncé brought in the big numbers to Netflix, thanks to her documentary, Homecoming . Nielsen states the documentary brought in 1.1 million U.S. viewers and had an average of 828,000 viewers a minute. That average continued in the days following the film’s April 17 release up into that weekend of April 20-21. Much of the audience consisted of young Black women viewers, with 63% watching the film April 21 and 55% throughout its first seven days after the release. Even though the documentary had a huge audience, Nielsen states that Homecoming didn’t reach the same heights as other Netflix offerings like the Sandra Bullock-starring horror film Bird Box and the Will Smith-starring fantasy buddy-cop film Bright . With that said, Nielsen’s stats don’t equal all of Netflix’s viewership numbers, since it only covers American viewers, and out of that limited demographic, Nielsen only counts internet-connected televisions. This means that phones, computers and other mobile devices aren’t...

Finally! HBO has released the first teaser for its highly-anticipated series adaptation of Watchmen. It is based on the 1980s DC Comics series, which had a film adaptation in 2009. From Damon Lindelof, it is the latest collaboration between him and King since HBO’s The Leftovers. Jeremy Irons, Louis Gossett Jr., Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon also star. The official logline: Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own. Watch the trailer below: Back in May of last year, Lindelof posted a letter to fans about the upcoming adaptation, which read in part, “Some of the characters will be unknown. New faces. New masks to cover them. We also intend to revisit the past century...

Yasuke has been found, and it’s none other than Chadwick Boseman. Deadline broke the news on Tuesday. The project has been in works for the past few years , originally being set up at Lionsgate with producer Erik Feig. Now, it’s with Feig’s Picturestart, where it will be produced with  Mike De Luca’s De Luca Productions, Stephen L’Heureux’s Solipsist, Logan Coles’ X●ception Content and Boseman. If you remember correctly, MGM also has a Yasuke project set up as well. “The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best-kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a samurai. That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it,” said Boseman. Yasuke (believed to have lived during the 1500s) was a samurai of Black African origin who served under the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in 1581 and 1582. The name “Yasuke” was granted to him by Nobunaga, although why and when is unclear. His original name is unknown – or, at least,...

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is set to re-team with her Little Monsters director, Abe Forsythe, for an untitled science fiction comedy that has been won by Universal Pictures. According to an exclusive Deadline report, Forsythe will write the script and direct, while Nyong’o will produce the project alongside Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky. While details about the plotline are under wraps, the project has been described as a mix of Men In Black meets Miss Congeniality . This is just the latest in a long list of upcoming projects (mostly vehicles) for Nyong’o, who has Little Monsters coming out later this year via NEON and Hulu. The actress, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for her performance as Patsey in 12 Years A Slave, is on board to star in a remake of John Woo’s 1989 action flick, The Killer and the international spy thriller, 355 . She’s also producing and starring in an adaptation of Trevor...

Regina King has signed a first look deal with Netflix. The multi-hyphenate is blossoming right now with her work in front of and behind the camera. She’s fresh off of an Oscar win for If Beale Street Could Talk and an Emmy win for her role in Netflix’s limited series, Seven Seconds. She’ll produce films and series for the streaming service through her Royal Ties production company. Her sister, Reina King, will serve as head of production. “Regina King is a multi-faceted talent both behind and in front of the camera. She’s been a trailblazer for years, with boundless creativity and impeccable taste in projects, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that she will bring her formidable talents to Netflix,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “I am beyond thrilled to join the Netflix family.  They are at the top of their game and as an artist, I am so excited to come play in this wonderful sandbox they have created for storytellers,” said King. Aside from acting, King has been...

Jordan Peele’s remake of The Twilight Zone has been renewed for season 2 at CBS All Access. Peele, who executive produces, is the host of the new show, taking over the mantle from Rod Serling. “Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s reimagining of The Twilight Zone is off to an amazing start on CBS All Access, driving the most viewers on its premiere day for an original series to date. Jordan, Simon, the creative team and cast have done a phenomenal job translating the series legacy of socially conscious storytelling for modern-day audiences. They are master storytellers, and we look forward to bringing fans further into The Twilight Zone with a second season,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access. The iconic science-fiction series, narrated by Serling, originally ran on CBS from 1959-1964. There was a revival in the ’80s on CBS and a short-lived one on UPN in 2002. There was a potential anthology reboot in 2012 to be directed by Bryan Singer as...

Lee Daniels is offering more information about his upcoming film about a gay superhero, Superbitch . As we reported in January, Superbitch has become Daniels’ next project thanks to the popularity of videos created by actor/comedian Destiny Hilton, featuring Hilton doing acrobatic stunts in hot pink, thigh-high boots. Daniels announced the project on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @hesosoutheast https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqghPMgjY7/?utm_source=ig_embed According to Deadline, during a Time 100 Summit interview with CNN’s Van Jones, Daniels once again confirmed that the film is in the works. “He [Hilton] does backflips and has a cape and does karate and, oh my God, he’s going to be a hero!” he said. He did add that “I’m not putting that much money behind it,” but said, “a couple [of] million dollars for a gay superhero movie is pretty f***ing exciting!” No word yet on when the film will go into production or when it will come to theaters. But hopefully, the...

Ahead of its Tribeca Film Festival debut, the first trailer has been released for See You Yesterday, the directorial debut of Spike Lee’s protege Stefon Bristol. It is based on Bristol’s 2017 short film of the same name. Relative newcomers Eden Duncan-Smith and Danté Crichlow reprise their roles from the short film in a feature film scripted by Bristol and Fredrica Bailey. The film revolves around “two Brooklyn teenage science prodigies, Claudette “C.J.” Walker (Duncan-Smith) and Sebastian J. Thomas (Crichlow), who build make-shift time machines to save C.J.’s brother, Calvin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer.” Co-stars include Astro Bradley, Marsha Stephanie Blake and Wavvy Jonez. The original short was an HBO Short Film competition finalist at the American Black Film Festival. It can currently be found on Cinemax’s Max Go. In reviewing the short film, Aramide Tinubu wrote for Shadow And Act, “Despite its short runtime, See You Yesterday is electrifying (literally)....

Netflix announced Tuesday that it will air its first animated original series from Africa. Titled Mama K’s Team 4 , the series will revolve around four teen girls, who reside in a neo-futuristic Lusaka, Zambia, that are recruited by a retired secret agent to save the world. Mama K’s Team 4 is produced by the Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios and CAKE, a London-based kids’ entertainment specialist. We originally reported on the project , pre-Netflix, back in 2018. The series was created by Malenga Mulendema, a Zambian writer who was one of eight winners in the Triggerfish Story Lab Initiative in 2015. Designed by Cameroonian artist Malcolm Wope, Mama K’s Team 4 draws visual inspiration from the retro-R&B and hip-hop girl groups of the ’90s. “In creating a superhero show set in Lusaka, I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way,” said Malenga. “Most importantly, I want to illustrate that anyone from anywhere...

Game of Thrones ‘ final season premiered Sunday, and all of Twitter was ablaze with theories, reactions, and of course, memes. If you are of the belief that the majority of Game of Thrones ‘ popularity stems from Black Twitter’s unabashed love for the series, Sunday night would have given you more fuel for your theory. During the premiere, tons of Black viewers, including Hollywood’s elite like Lupita Nyong’o and YouTube royalty like Jackie Aina, populated Twitter with hilarious memes and hot takes. See some of our favorites below. Everyone just had it out for Daenerys, while the #SansaHive was ready to pounce . https://twitter.com/yngfalafel/status/1117615286943997952 https://twitter.com/_Rickeh/status/1117609376162959360 https://twitter.com/yididiapaulos/status/1117612886321442817 The Iron Throne is calling on Jon and he's like… #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/SH7jOmJt8c — Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) April 15, 2019 Bran was waiting for Jaime at the door ! #GameOfThrones Nobody:...

The three lead roles for Barry Jenkins’ upcoming Amazon series, The Underground Railroad, have been unveiled. Jenkins will direct all eleven episodes. Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon and Aaron Pierre will lead the cast. They will play Cora, Homer and Caesar. The series originally landed at Amazon in March 2017 with a script-to-series commitment. Jenkins is re-teaming with his Moonlight producers (Brad Pitt’s) Plan B, and Adele Romanski, to adapt the Colson Whitehead novel, which chronicles a young slave’s adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. The novel’s official summary reads: Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as...