Jay Z will bring Trayvon Martin's story to the big and small screen
Jay Z is bringing Trayvon Martin's story to both the big screen and the small screen.
He and The Weinstein Company have just scooped up the rights to two books about Martin, with the intention of creating both a narrative feature film and a TV docuseries.
Martin, a black Florida teenager, was unarmed when he was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012. His death – and Zimmerman's eventual acquittal – sparked nationwide outcry and helped give rise to the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the two books picked up by Jay Z and the The Weinstein Co. focus on different aspects of Martin's life and death. Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, written by Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, offers an intimate look at the slain teen and his family's experiences of his death and its aftermath.
Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It mainly focuses on Zimmerman's murder trial. It was written by attorney Lisa Bloom (who recently made headlines for representing actress and revenge porn victim Mischa Barton).
Jay Z and The Weinstein Co. previously teamed up for another true tale of criminal injustice, Time: The Kalief Browder Story. The six-part docuseries, about the black teenager held without trial for three years inside Rikers Island, is currently airing on Spike.
