Exclusive: Director Tim Story, writers Tracy Oliver, Dewayne Perkins talk horror comedy The Blackening
Today, Lionsgate released the trailer to its upcoming feature film “The Blackening,” from director Tim Story featuring an all-star ensemble cast. Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip,” “First Wives Club”) wrote the feature film adaptation alongside Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine Nine”).
The talented ensemble includes a robust roundup of top artists from some of the most popular film and television projects in Hollywood. “The Blackening” stars: Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, Jay Pharoah, Yvonne Orji, Antoinette Robertson, X Mayo, and Sinqua Walls.
Based on the 2018 Comedy Central digital short written by Perkins, “The Blackening” centers around seven Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. The feature expands on the original short’s basic premise: “The Black cast member is always the first to die in a horror movie, but what happens when everyone is Black?”
“The Blackening” digital short was written by Perkins for the Chicago improv group 3-PEAT, where he was a member. 3-PEAT’s other members include Chris Redd, John Thibodeaux, Shantira Jackson, Lisa Beasley, Nnamdi Ngwe, Patrick Rowland, Allison Blair, and Torian Miller.
In addition to directing the film, Story produced the film via his The Story Company banner alongside Oliver’s Tracy Yvonne Productions and E. Brian Dobbins of Artists First. Jason Clark and Marcei Brown will also produce for Catchlight Studios.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Story, Oliver and Perkins on the release of the trailer.