‘Dance With The Devil’: Leslie Odom Jr. To Write/Star Horror Film About Sammy Davis Jr.’s Connection To The Church Of Satan

Here is an extremely interesting project in the works as Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night In Miami,” “Hamilton,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”) is set to both star and write a new horror film based on Alex Bhattacharji’s 2024 Rolling Stone Magazine article “Dance With The Devil” (would make a fitting title) about legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. (“Ocean’s 11”) and his mostly unknown connectivity to The Church of Satan.

As revealed by the folks over at Entertainment Weekly, the new pic at Rolling Stone Films will explore Davis’ connections to the Church of Satan, while he linked up with the group via founder Anton LaVey.

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A brief logline for the pic, courtesy of EW’s report:

“Unlikely connection to Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, what drew Davis into that world, and the surprising overlap between the beloved entertainer and one of America’s most controversial figures.”

The two met while Davis was putting together his 1970s comedy TV film “Poor Devil” (originally meant to be a pilot for NBC and aired in February 1973), where he played a low-level devil named Sammy working for Hell trying to collect souls for the boss, Lucifer, in an attempt to move up out of the furnace room. The film/pilot also co-starred comedian Jack Klugman (“The Odd Couple” TV series) as the soul Sammy was interested in buying, former “Batman” actor Adam West, and veteran horror actor Christopher Lee as the head honcho of Hell, quite the fitting part if you ask us.

“A sensitive story about a profoundly alienated Davis and his search for acceptance,” Bhattachaji said in an official statement, referring to his original “Dance With The Devil” article, “It’s a rollicking ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture.”

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Below is a clip from “Poor Devil,” which pretty much has the standard sitcom tone you’d expect from most comedic genre-based television shows of the era.