The Obamas Producing Blackout, A Film and TV Event for Netflix
The Obamas’ production company Higher Ground and Temple Hill (Fatherhood) are teaming up again for a new project on Netflix: Blackout, a film and TV event adapting six love stories from six different authors. Netflix says the project is being developed as a film and a TV series concurrently, so some of the stories will be used in the film while others are in the show. Blackout takes place in New York during a power outage and features stories from Dhonielle Clayton (Tiny Pretty Things), Tiffany D. Jackson (Allegedly), Nic Stone (Dear Martin), Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Ashley Woodfolk (The Beauty That Remains), and Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything).
New Smart Bookstore Amplifies Black Authors’ Voices
Blk + Brown, a bookstore in Kansas City, Missouri, is using smart technology to help amplify the voices of Black authors. The bookstore’s set-up is like an art gallery, but for books. “Certain books will come and go like installations but there’s definitely some that will always be around and those are the books I call my ‘Blassics,'” bookstore owner Cori Smith explained. “So like the Toni Morrisons, the James Baldwin, the Richard Wrights.” Each book comes with a QR code so you can hear lectures and talks with the authors, as well as playlists created to go with the books, and more. The bookstore also features a monthly book club and a mentorship program. For more information about the store’s upcoming events, check out their website.
Zack Stentz Will Write Script for Wheel of Time Film Adaptation
Zack Stentz will write the script for Age of Legends, the first of three planned Wheel of Time adaptations, based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling books. Zack Stentz, the co-writer of Thor and X-Men: First Class, said in a statement, “I’ve been a fan of Robert Jordan’s work for many years, and it is especially his allusions to the origins and backstory of The Wheel of Time that I have always found most intriguing. I’m excited to be bringing this era Robert Jordan conceptualized to life.” The project will be produced by Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon of iwot productions and Ted Field and Justin Smith of Radar Pictures.
The Best Manga and Light Novels to Pick Up in 2021
Looking to pick up a new manga this year? Here are some of the best manga and light novels to read in 2021.