Film / TV

issa rae is busting the door to hollywood wide open

December 12, 2018
284 Picks

Nothing gets me out of bed in the morning like hearing another trailblazing Black woman securing her bag and proceeding to make it rain for the next generation. The latest goddess to perch herself firmly on that Hollywood sign is our fave Awkward Black Girl Issa Rae. According to a Variety exclusive, Rae’s production company ColorCreative just signed a multi-picture deal with Columbia pictures in an unparalleled deal that will also support and develop projects with a diverse set upcoming screenwriters.

Praise be. Black women are really going to fuck around and save Hollywood from itself.

As the creator, writer and lead of new classic Insecure, Rae is the perfect example of what can come of opportunities like this ingenious orchestration of representation behind the scenes. That kind of representation has gifted us with films like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians, which are considered among 2018’s biggest films. Hollywood still has a long way to go regarding representation but the barriers have been identified and Rae, as well as other powerhouse Black women in Hollywood, are going in guns blazing to make sure equality and equity become the norm in front and behind the camera.

“Working with Bryan Smiley and Columbia Pictures to further the mission ColorCreative set out to achieve four years ago in creating access for underrepresented writers, has been a dream come true,” Rae said in a statement. “All of the projects we are working on are fresh and promising and we can’t wait to continue the work. We hope to set a precedent and inspire the industry at large to invest in undiscovered talent, original IP, and fresh stories and perspectives.”

The precedent is definitely being set as more and more Black women are securing production deals across the board in the wake of Hollywood’s rush to cash in on the cash cow that is true representation. Shonda Rhimes signed an eye-watering 9-figure deal that set the tone for a wave of other Black women creators securing their own development deals. Lena Waithe was out the gates early with a first look deal with Showtime, accompanied by Ava DuVernay, Viola Davis and Gabrielle Union, who secured their own deals with Warner Brothers, Amazon Video and Sony Pictures respectively.

2018 had to have been the Blackest year on record and Black women are far from done with Hollywood: The Blackening. We. Are. READY!

Related