Malcolm D. Lee is in talks to direct the coming-of-age movie musical.
Amazon Studios, Davis Entertainment and Malcolm D. Lee’s Blackmaled Productions are partnering on a coming-of-age movie musical titled Brotherly, which will be based on the music of R&B supergroup Boyz II Men.
Brotherly will follows a group of men who, according to the project’s synopsis, “will return to West Philadelphia for a high school reunion 20 years after having gone their separate ways — eventually finding hope, redemption and a new understanding of the enduring power of friendship.”
In addition to producing, Lee is also in talks to direct the project, which will be written by Marcus Gardley, who is behind the upcoming The Color Purple movie musical adaptation as well as Marvin Gaye biopic What’s Going On.
From Philadelphia, Boyz II Men is known for emotional ballads that are peppered with a cappella harmonies, gaining prominence in the ’90s and earning four Grammy Awards throughout their three-decade career. The group’s prominent singles include “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “End of the Road,” “On Bended Knee” and “I’ll Make Love to You.”
John Davis and John Fox, who were most recently in theaters with Disney’s Jungle Cruise, will produce the project with Lee via his Blackmaled Productions. Eric Bromberg, Joe Mulvihill, Davis Entertainment’s Jeremy Stein and Sheila Walcott will executive produce, as well as Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman.
Lee, repped by A3 and Del Shaw, was last behind the camera for Warner Bros. tentpole Space Jam: A New Legacy. Gardley, repped by WME, Manage-ment and Jackaway Austin, has a first-look television deal with Amazon. His previous screen credits include the series Maid, Foundation, and The Chi.
Boyz II Men are repped by ICM Partners.
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
