Regina King continues to reign! The Oscar winner and director of the critically acclaimed One Night In Miami is set to helm the big screen adaptation of the Image Comics series Bitter Root created by David F. Walker & Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown.
All the trades are buzzing with the news and have also reported that King will not only direct, but will produce with Reina King via their Royal Ties production shingle alongside an all-star roster including Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian of Proximity Media. Walker, Greene, Brown and Drapetomedia’s Sean Owolo will executive produce. Bryan Edward Hill is currently rewriting the draft.
So what is Bitter Root about? Well, according to the trades: “The story is set during the vibrant Harlem Renaissance of 1924, when a fractured family of once-great monster hunters faces 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 human beings into hideous monsters. With most of the family dead, and the surviving Sangeryes at odds between saving or killing the creatures, they must overcome the wounds of the past in the hopes of thwarting an invasion.”
King is no stranger to the comic book world. She won an Emmy for her role as Sister Knight in HBO’s Watchmen. Also, let’s take a moment to celebrate this. There haven’t been many women — let alone women of color — who have directed comic book adaptations. This is all changing.
Of course, we have Patty Jenkins for the Wonder Woman franchise at DC while Marvel is really going all in with female filmmakers (finally). Cate Shortland directed the upcoming Black Widow while Oscar winner Chloe Zhao helmed The Eternals. Nia DaCosta will direct the Captain Marvel sequel which is titled The Marvels. Speaking of the all-powerful Carol Danvers, Anna Boden co-directed the first installment with Ryan Fleck.
