Issa Rae has already captured the minds and eyes of audiences for her hilarious HBO series Insecure, and now she’s angling to become a major player in Hollywood. Rae recently inked a multi-picture production deal with Columbia Pictures which will give screenwriters of diverse backgrounds new opportunities.
Variety exclusively reports:
Issa Rae’s production company, ColorCreative, has signed a multi-picture production deal with Columbia Pictures. The pact is unique in that under the agreement, ColorCreative will work with and back projects from emerging, diverse screenwriters.
The move comes as the entertainment industry is under pressure to develop films and shows that feature underrepresented talent both in front of and behind the camera. There’s a lot of room for improvement. Films such as “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” have demonstrated the commercial appeal of movies with minority leads, but they remain the exception, not the rule. A recent USC study found that only 29.3% of characters in the 100 top grossing movies of 2017 were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
Rae is best known for creating, co-writing, and starring in the HBO series “Insecure.” Selected participants, to be announced in the spring of 2019, will work with Rae and the studio to develop and write features based on their original ideas.
Just another bag secured for the talented Issa Rae.
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Photo: Getty