Anthony Mackie is moving from in front of the camera to behind it. According to Deadline, the Captain America star is set to make his directorial debut with the new film Spark, profiling the unsung civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, with King Richard star Saniyya Sidney as the heroine.
Mackie is set to work with Kellon Akeem, Jason Michael Berman and Marc Ambrose, who will serve as producers on the project. The film will follow the exploits of Colvin who, at fifteen, bravely stood up to racism, being arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a crowded segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks became a symbol of the Civil Rights era symbol for courageously doing the same thing.
While she was at first embraced by history, Colvin was ultimately brushed aside as the face of the civil rights movement. Mackie’s film is set to bring her back to the public eye. The production has the life rights to Colvin and her story, with the production actively working with the family to tell the story right. Colvin herself expressed her happiness at the project to Deadline:
“67 years ago, when history glued me to the seat of that bus in Montgomery, I could never have imagined that standing up for my rights could spark a movement that would change the course of history. It is really an honor to have my story retold, by Mr. Mackie, for future generations to learn about our past so they can move forward knowing that progress is possible, and things do get better. I hope my story will inspire youth to continue to fight for civil rights and human dignity.”
Mackie stated that he came across Colvin’s story during a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, sparking the need to tell her story after all of these years. “Not only was I moved, I was inspired,” he said. “It’s great to be a superhero in movies, but she’s a real live one living amongst us and I’m honored to tell her story.”
Mackie’s directorial debut will be quite the departure from his superhero exploits in the MCU, and will add to an already impressive resume for Sidney, who is set to play Sasha Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady. However, this all-star cast will definitely be able to bring this inspiring story to life after so many years of Colvin’s act were set aside in the history books.
via Collider