Warner Bros. drama Judas and the Black Messiah about Fred Hampton, the Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman who was betrayed by FBI informant William O’Neal, will open on Feb. 12, 2021 in both theaters and on HBO Max.
The studio is planning to push the Shaka King directed feature for the current 2020-21 awards season. The pic stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as William O’Neal. A career thief, O’Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). Hampton’s political prowess grows just as he’s falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback). Meanwhile, a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) commands?
The pic was originally dated for a Aug. 21 release, however Warners temporarily pulled the film off the schedule to the pandemic back in April.
The pic also stars Ashton Sanders, and Martin Sheen, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Dominique Thorne, Amari Cheatom, Caleb Eberhardt, Lil Rel Howery.
Last year during awards season, Warner Bros had Just Mercy about world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his story to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx). Foxx received a SAG nomination for supporting actor.