Reboots and revivals are still big business in Hollywood and they aren’t going away anytime soon. For her next project, Lovecraft Country and Snowfall writer Ihuoma Ofordire will be penning the script for the Warner Bros and Charles D. King’s MACRO-backed reboot of Cleopatra Jones. The original film, which debuted in 1973 amid the height of the Blaxploitation era, starred Tamara Dobson who worked as an undercover government agent. She used her daytime job as a supermodel to go undercover, travel to exotic places, and get involved in the war on drugs.

This revival also isn’t new, as Lovecraft Country series creator Misha Green was initially set to pen the script when it first announced back in 2017.

According to Deadline, Ofordire has been tapped for this contemporary reimaging of the 1973 action feature. Though no director has been set yet for the feature film, MACRO, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Green are set to produce the movie. MACRO recently produced the double Oscar winner Judas and the Black Messiah for Warner Bros. Pictures.

This reboot of Cleopatra Jones is yet another in the revival of Blaxploitation. In 2018, Director X’s premiered his version of Superfly starring Grownish’s Trevor Jackson and 2019’s Shaft helmed by Tim Story saw Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as John Shaft. The movie also starred Regina Hall and Jessie T. Usher.

With Black actresses like Viola Davis, Naomi Ackie, and Lashana Lynch among others taking on more action roles, it will be interesting to see how Ofordire’s spin on the 1970’s classic is received by a 21st-century audience.

Ofordire teamed up with Green for the much-lauded eighth episode of Lovecraft Country titled, “Jig-a-Bobo.” Deadline is also reporting that this is just one project in a long list of projects for the Washington, D.C.-born writer. She is developing projects with a number of producers including 20th Century Studios. Ofordire is a WGA and Nebula award nominee who is repped by CAA, Artists First and Del, Shaw, Moonves.

Ihuoma Ofordire

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