“Dope” director Rick Famuyiwa to helm martial arts film “Son of Shaolin”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sony Pictures is in negotiations with “Dope” director Rick Famuyiwa to come on board teen martial arts movie “Son of Shaolin”, Variety said.

Dwayne Johnson is producing with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia through their Seven Bucks Productions company. Johnson is not attached to star in the film.

“Son of Shaolin” is based on the graphic novel by Jay Longino and illustrated by Caanan White, which focuses on a struggling street artist discovering he is the last of his bloodline and must find a way to survive a seemingly unstoppable killer.

Longino wrote the first draft of the script and will serve as an executive producer. Ryan Kalil is also executive producing. Sony execs Matt Milam and Maia Eyre are overseeing for the studio.

The logline for “Son of Shaolin” is under wraps, but it will be a modern day martial arts movie influenced by classic Hong Kong cinema.

Famuyiwa’s credits as a director and screenwriter includes “The Wood” (1999), “Brown Sugar” (2002), “Talk to Me” (2007) and “Dope,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as a coming of age story in South Central Los Angeles.

Famuyiwa is working on a Showtime pilot written by Lena Waithe.