Tubi partners with Kevin Garnett and Village Roadshow for 'Black Noir Cinema' initiative
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 14: Kevin Garnett, a finalist for the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, speaks during a ceremony announcing the finalists at the United Center on February 14, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User ex
CHICAGO - Two new Tubi Originals are coming to the free streaming platform, courtesy of a film production giant and an NBA legend.
FOX's free, ad-supported streaming service has entered a deal to produce multiple projects in partnership with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group as part of its new "Black Noir Cinema" initiative. First up on the docket are two films to be produced by NBA MVP Kevin Garnett and legendary director/producer Oz Scott ("Black Lightning," "S.W.A.T.").
Garnett moved into producing after making his feature film debut playing himself in the Adam Sandler-starring dark comedy "Uncut Gems." Working with Village Roadshow Entertainment, Garnett’s production company Content Cartel will help spearhead two new Tubi original films, one called "Cinnamon" and another tentatively titled "Murder City."
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According to a press release: ""Cinnamon" follows a struggling small-town gas station attendant with big dreams whose life is sent into a tailspin after a fatal crime in this intersecting crime thriller."
Written and directed by award-winning rising filmmaker Bryian Montgomery, the film is in pre-production with casting underway and is scheduled to start shooting in Atlanta early next year.
Meanwhile, "Murder City" is set to star Mike Colter ("Luke Cage," "Evil"). It’s billed as "a thrilling contemporary crime story following a disgraced former cop who finds himself working for a ruthless female kingpin to pay off his estranged father’s debt and protect his family."
Directed by Michael D. Olmos ("Windows on the World," "Bedrooms" ), "Murder City" is slated to begin production in 2022 with more casting announcements expected shortly.
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"The powerful creative partnership forged between FOX, Village Roadshow, Kevin and Oz will expand Tubi’s rich Black Cinema collection, which is one of the largest free online film offerings of its kind and among our most popular content categories," explained Adam Lewinson, Tubi’s Chief Content Officer.
"As we continue to grow Tubi’s original content offerings, we remain focused on spotlighting emerging talent and celebrating fresh, authentic storytelling that reflects diverse experiences and perspectives to better serve our current audience, nearly half of which is comprised of viewers who self-identify as multicultural."
According to Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment at FOX Entertainment, "FOX Entertainment has a long-standing history of diversity in the stories we tell and characters we showcase, and we’re honored to build on that legacy by welcoming independent film giant Village Roadshow to create this dynamic, new content for our growing Tubi audience."
More from Tubi’s Black Cinema collection — streaming for free!
Proud Mary (2018): Taraji P. Henson leads this stylish action thriller about a steely hit woman who finds herself protecting a young teenaged boy with a complicated past. Rated R. 89 minutes. Dir: Babak Najafi. Also featuring Neal McDonough, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Billy Brown
Beyond The Lights (2014): This achingly beautiful coming-of-age romance about a pop star named Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is an ode to setting boundaries and not letting anyone control you — even the people who raised you. Rated PG-13. 116 minutes. Dir: Gina Prince-Bythewood. Also features Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Danny Glover.
Sorry To Bother You (2018): Critiques of capitalism don’t get more pointed — or more absurdly hilarious — than in this proudly oddball dark comedy from director, rapper and communist activist Boots Riley. Rated R. 112 minutes. Dir: Boots Riley. Featuring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer, Omari Hardwick, Danny Glover.
About Tubi: Tubi has more than 35,000 movies and television series from over 250 content partners, including every major studio, in addition to the largest offering of free live local and national news channels in streaming. The platform gives fans of entertainment, news and sports an easy way to discover new content that is available completely free.
Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, Cox Contour, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and soon on Hisense TVs globally. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at http://www.tubi.tv/.
Tubi and this television station are both owned by the FOX Corporation.