Regina King is no stranger to playing powerful female characters, but her latest may be the fiercest of them all. The Oscar winning actress takes on the role of Shirley Chisholm, the first woman — period — to run for president in the Netflix biopic Shirley. The film follows Shirley as she becomes the first black woman elected to the United States congress to her historic and improbable presidential run in 1972. According to King, the project written and directed by John Ridley, took she and her producing partner (her sister Reina King) some 15 years to make. Reina also appears in the film as ..read more

Nicole Byer is quite literally the H.N.I.C in the satirical comedy The American Society Of Magical Negroes. The film, written directed by Kobi Libii follows a young Black artist (Justice Smith) and his mentor Roger (David Alan Grier) as they navigate a secret society of Black people with magical powers, whose entire existences are dedicated to keeping white people comfortable.   The much buzzed about film tackles the ‘Magical Negro’ trope (coined by Spike Lee) with clever humor and pointed social commentary thanks to a supporting cast including Byer, Aisha Hinds and Drew Tarver. Related ..read more

Justice Smith finally has a role he can relate to. After years starring in action adventure flicks like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and its sequel “Jurassic World Dominion”, “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” and “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” Smith is flexing his acting chops playing an awkward Black guy with magical powers in “The American Society of Magical Negroes.’ “This character, this journey was fully my experience, obviously, magic aside,” said Smith during the Focus feature press junket. The comedy film — written, directed, and produced by Kobi Libii in his directorial ..read more

Denis Villeneuve is poised to take over the box office again with his highly anticipated sequel Dune: Part Two. The French Canadian director creates an engrossing, believable world, smartly dividing Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel into two parts. We spoke to him about making the second installment bigger and better than the first — adding new faces to the cast, amazing costumes and killer stunts. In the film Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his lif ..read more

Polaris is redefining Galentine’s Day! For the first time ever, the leader in powersports and off-road innovation, celebrated Galentine’s Day hosting a group of millennial women for an adrenaline-filled off-roading, outdoor adventure. While many brands traditionally market Galentine’s Day to women leveraging more feminine or “girly” aesthetics and themes, Polaris took a bold different approach. On Friday, February 9th, the women were transported, via luxury Sprinter, to the companies Happy Trails location in Lucerne, CA. But first they made a pit stop at Marina Lodge in Bi ..read more

Kingsley Ben-Adir seems to have a knack for playing black icons. From his break out role portraying President Barack Obama in The Comey Rule to Malcolm X in One Night In Miami…. But it was his latest turn, playing reggae legend Bob Marley in One Love: Bob Marley, that may have been his toughest to date. Ben-Adir lip synced to original recordings in concert scenes. Credit…Chiabella James/Paramount Pictures “Bob was intense,” he told HipHollywood during the press junket in London. “That’s one of the first things I learned about this period of time when he was creating [the album] Exo ..read more

For years fans have often wondered who exactly is Vince Staples? The 30-year-old is kind of famous, but he’s not. He’s kind of rich, but he’s not. He’s also kind of a criminal. But he’s…not? Now the rapper and sometimes actor aims to answer those burning questions with his new Netflix series The Vince Staples Show.  In the five-part series Staples takes viewers on his daily adventures, in the city that shaped who he is today — Long Beach, California. While many may have heard of the LBC thanks to rap superstar Snoop Dogg, Staples wanted to showcase all that the picturesque beac ..read more

David Oyelowo is stepping into a new type of role with the action comedy release, “Role Play.” The British-born actor known for his impressive work in drama’s and biopics plays an unsuspecting husband whose entire world shatters when he learns his wife (played by Kaley Cuoco) is a secret agent.   Hot on the heels of his Golden Globe nominated turn in Lawman: Bass Reeves Oyelowo told HipHollywood he loved the opportunity to do something fun but was shocked he got the offer. “I was shocked that they came to me as a choice,” he laughed. “But also, I just love the role reversal. Kaley known ..read more

It’s been some 20 years since Kevin Harts’ breakout role in Soul Plane. Now the global superstar is returning to the air in his new action flick Lift. In the film directed by F. Gary Gray, Hart plays Cyrus, a master thief who teams up with his ex-girlfriend to steal $100 million in gold bullion being transported on a 777 passenger flight. On Monday (January 8th) Netflix hosted the premiere for the film at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Hart turned out alongside his stellar cast including; Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, Sam Worthington, Viv ..read more

HipHollywood sat down with cast of The Color Purple to chat about the film and tapping into their roles and played a fun game of ‘Harpo Who Dis?’ The film version features an all-star cast including Fantasia (Celie), Taraji P. Henson (Shut Avery), Danielle Brooks (Sophia), Colman Domingo (Mister), Cory Hawkins (Harpo) and Halle Bailey (Young Nettie) among others. In the latest film version of “The Color Purple,” whose origin derives from a story of perseverance and sisterhood that first found acclaim in 1983, when its author, Alice Walker, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Within two years ..read more