Hot off making her directorial debut with the acclaimed drama One Night in Miami, Regina King has signed on to direct an adaptation of the comic book Bitter Root for Legendary and producer Ryan Coogler.
Bryan Edward Hill, who is writing the new Power Rangers movie, is currently rewriting the script for Bitter Root, whose creators David F. Walker, Sanford Green and Chuck Brown will executive produce the film along with Drapetomedia’s Sean Owolo. King will produce alongside Coogler and his Proximity Media partners Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian.
Set during the vibrant Harlem Renaissance of 1924, Bitter Root is a racially charged monster movie that follows a fractured family of once-great monster hunters who face an unimaginable evil that descends upon New York City. For generations, the Sangeryes have hunted and cured those infected by a supernatural force that feeds off the prejudice of the era, transforming humans into monsters. Though many Sangeryes have died in the line of duty, the surviving family members have the unenviable choice to save or kill the creatures in hopes of thwarting an invasion.
King is one of the most celebrated actresses in all of Hollywood, having won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her supporting turn in Barry Jenkins' drama If Beale Street Could Talk, as well as four Emmys for her work on American Crime, Seven Seconds and most recently, HBO's Watchmen.
King did a great job with the feature adaptation of Kemp Powers' screenplay One Night in Miami, which earned three Oscar nominations as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director. Though part of me wishes King hadn't decided to follow up that film with a comic book movie, since there's no shortage of those on the horizon, I'm glad she chose a piece of IP that is actually about something, rather than just being another superhero story about a guy with powers. With Ryan Coogler in her corner, this could be the comic book movie to watch outside of the MCU and the DCEU, and we'll be sure to keep an eye on casting as things progress on this project.