marsai martin to produce new fantasy flick ‘amari and the night brothers’

Fourteen-year-old Marsai Martin is the literal definition of #BlackGirlMagic and we’re loving watching her glow up! The Black-Ish star’s next project was recently announced as the film adaptation of B.B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers. As part of her first-look deal with Universal Pictures, Martin will not only star in the film, but will also be an executive producer with her father, Josh Martin, via their Genius Productions. Don Cheadle is along for the ride as well as a producer, along with Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman of Mandeville Films (Beauty and the Beast, Wonder). As the book has not been released, not a lot is known about the plot at all, actually, as THR reports:

“Details about the book are being kept out of the sun, but it is known to be a middle-grade, contemporary real-world fantasy centered on a Black girl who goes on a journey in which she discovers her hidden powers. The book was one of the splashes of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April, where many territories around the world were sold in a heated auction. Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, won a six-way auction for U.S. rights. A January 2021 publishing date is being eyed.”

Basically, I wanna be Marsai when I grow up.