Hey folks, here's the trailer for THE HATE U GIVE, from the YA novel written by Angie Thomas!
THE HATE U GIVE was adapted into a screenplay by Audrey Wells (A DOG'S PURPOSE), directed by George Tillman Jr. (NOTORIOUS), and stars Amandla Stenberg (EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING), Algee Smith (DETROIT), Regina Hall (the SCARY MOVIE films), Russell Hornsby (FENCES), Common (JOHN WICK CHAPTER 2), Anthony Mackie (AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR), and K.J. Apa ("Riverdale").
Starr is a young woman straddling two worlds: the black community she lives in, and Williamson, the private school her parents send her to. She has a boyfriend, Chris, and is compartmentalized her identity at Williamson and the real Starr. When her first love Khalil comes back to town, the two are out driving when the police pull them over. Khalil does something foolish and is shot to death, leaving Starr to reconcile these two worlds as one.
It's interesting but unfortunate to note that K.J. Apa, a top actor with the lead role on a t.v. show, was a fill-in replacement in the supporting role of Chris, Starr's boyfriend, for another actor, who was fired from the film this past February when videos of him using racial epithets surfaced.
This might just be Amandla Stenberg's year to break big, between this and THE DARKEST MINDS. I'm thrilled to see Regina King is also in this... but of all the talent in this film, I have a feeling this is going to make a career for Algee Smith. His Khalil seems sweet and reckless, like Jeff Buckley diving into the Mississippi; for those who do see this film, I have a feeling he's going to be a hard character to let go.
