If you saw the Oscars and wondered why the roar of applause seemed extra loud for Hair Love director Matthew A. Cherry, it’s because his victory is a terrific success story. The ex-NFL player scraped and scrounged to make his award-winning short a reality, and that he was telling a story that taught black girls to love themselves as they are only made it more special. Well, now Cherry is embarking on his feature debut, The Come Up, and details have emerged along with the first cast members.
According to Collider, The Come Up is a heist movie that will star Lil Rel Howery (Brittany Runs a Marathon), the Lucas Bros. (22 Jump Street), and Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You). The film is being described as a cross between Friday and Ocean’s 11, which is a combo that I think we all can support. Cherry will direct from a script by Michael Starrbury, best known for Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.
It was Fowler who cooked up the premise, although plot details are being kept under wraps. He will also act as an exec-producer. Heist movies starring black actors are still pretty rare. We get plenty of crime movies but the heist genre has mostly eluded us. That gives Cherry the shot to really put his stamp on things with this movie if it’s a hit.
