While most people think of Brad Pitt as an A-list actor, over the past decade or so, thanks to his Plan B production company, he’s become one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. Through Plan B, he’s produced films such as “The Departed,” “The Tree of Life,” “Moneyball,” “Killing Them Softly,” “Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and many, many more. And for his next film, Plan B is teaming up with Oprah Winfrey to help bring one “The Water Dancer” to the big screen.
According to THR, Plan B and Harpo, Pitt and Winfrey’s production companies, respectively, are joining forces with MGM to adapt Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel, “The Water Dancer,” as a feature film. They’re set to be joined by producer Kamilah Forbes, who has a history with Coates-based projects, as a director and writer behind “Between the World and Me.”
“The Water Dancer” is a historical fantasy film that follows the story of Hiram Walker, a young man born into bondage in the pre-Civil War South. He has a photographic memory but not real recollection about his mother. After an accident, he discovers he has a superpower that allows him to teleport long distances, which gets him involved in the Underground Railroad and with some familiar historical figures.
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“Ta-Nehisi’s debut fiction novel has at its heart, a beautiful character in Hiram Walker, whose personal odyssey weaves the supernatural and spiritual, with the terrible reality of the forced separations endured by enslaved people and their families for centuries,” said MGM’s film group chairman Michael De Luca and MGM’s film group president Pamela Abdy. “Hiram’s story is one of devotion to those he loves, and the journey he takes to bring them together. All of us at MGM are incredibly honored to join Ta-Nehisi, Kamilah, Plan B and Harpo Films in bringing this film to the screen.”
“I’m honored to be working with Harpo, Plan B and my old friend Kamilah Forbes,” stated Coates. “We all believe that MGM is the best home for this adaptation and look forward to bringing it to life.”
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With Pitt and Winfrey attached, and source material from Coates, it’s clear that “The Water Dancer” is going to be one of the most anticipated productions of the next couple of years. Hopefully, we’ll see this on the big screen sooner rather than later.