The legendary American author and activist James Baldwin, whose must-read work includes “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Giovanni’s Room” and whose life was presented in the Academy Award-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” is the subject of an upcoming film announced by the production company Anonymous Content and Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground. It’s based on “Baldwin: A Love Story,” the Nicholas Boggs biography that includes previously unreported details of Baldwin’s professional, artistic and intimate relationships with people like Black American painter Beauford Delaney; the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger, who became his romantic partner, and with Turkish actor Engin Cezzar and French artist Yoran Cazac. Boggs is working on the screenplay with partner Marlon James, author of the highly acclaimed novel, “The Disappearers.” It’s very early in the process, but the eventual casting process is going to involve a lot of actors frantically texting their agents.
Taraji P. Henson and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor deliver ‘Some Sugah’
Netflix is baking up a treat for December. “Give Me Some Sugah,” from actor-director Tasha Smith (“Empire”), based on real events, is ready to pull some heartstrings with the unexpected true story of Lenore Lindsey, a Chicago bakery owner who learned that she and a customer — no spoilers here — had something exceptional in common. It stars Taraji P. Henson, Smith’s “Empire” co-star, and features queer Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in addition to rapper Joey Bada$$, DeVon Franklin (“Miracles from Heaven”), who co-produces with Tyler Perry, and Smith herself. If you’re missing the Chicago atmosphere and food service family drama of “The Bear,” here’s where to satisfy that craving. The holidays get sweeter when the film drops Dec. 16 on Netflix.
‘Safe for the Whole Family’ shines a light in Christian music’s dark places
If you saw the 2021 documentary “The Jesus Music” and thought it conveniently ignored a lot of problems in the business of contemporary Christian music, filmmaker Jason Ikeler’s new project, “Safe for the Whole Family: How to Make a Christian Superstar,” is here to ask the tough questions. It features performers who’ll be unfamiliar to some people, but household names for anyone who grew up in the Evangelical church listening to the artists that followed in the footsteps of Amy Grant: people like Nikki Leonti, Michael Passons and Jennifer Knapp. They share stories of abuse at the hands of industry executives, as well as accounts of career-ending homophobia. The film also features interviews with members of Sixpence None the Richer, Relient K and Caedmon’s Call. In other words, the movie your former youth pastor wishes didn’t exist. It premiered at the recent Nashville Film Festival, so be on the lookout for it to drop into more festivals or a streaming platform soon.
Romeo Beckham debuts in ‘Forty Love’
Romeo Beckham, the son of David Beckham and Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, is making his acting debut. The film is a French queer tennis romance called “Forty Love” from director Pierre-Ange Carlotti — in the fashion photographer’s debut feature — and it’s a coming-of-age romance about rival tennis players whose conflicted relationship moves on and off the court. Rising French actor Paul Kircher and Beckham play the two athletes, and their co-stars are veteran actor Guillaume Canet (“Tell No One”) and the legendary Catherine Deneuve. It’s all very shades of “Challengers” and “Heated Rivalry” but with the added bonus of that French je ne sais quoi and more pretty young men. The film is finished and arrives in French theaters this November, so expect a North American release sometime in 2027.