Anthony Mackie's feature directorial debut will be the civil rights biopic Spark
The forthcoming film centers around real-life civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin
Anthony Mackie is stepping behind the camera for his next movie. The actor will make his feature directorial debut with Spark, per Deadline. The film centers around real-life civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin. Saniyya Sidney, fresh from her breakout role as Venus Williams in King Richard, has signed on to play the role of Colvin.
When Colvin was 15, she was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a crowded, segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This occurred March 2, 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks’ similar but more widely publicized act of refusal. Parks’ actions cemented her place in the civil rights history books, but Colvin—who was poor, dark-skinned, and became pregnant out of wedlock and was not viewed as the “ideal” symbol for the civil rights movement—has been all but forgotten.
Mackie, who learned Colvin’s story during a trip National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, will be producing Spark with Kellon Akeem, Jason Michael Berman, and Marc Ambrose. The film is set to be a co-production between Mansa Productions, Make It With Gravy Productions, and Mandalay Pictures in association with Ambergreen Entertainment.
Niceole R. Levy has signed on to write the script and the filmmakers have already secured Colvin’s life rights. They’ve also snagged to rights to the book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
“67 years ago, when history glued me to the seat of that bus in Montgomery, I could never have imagined that standing up for my rights could spark a movement that would change the course of history,” Colvin, herself, said in a statement about the forthcoming feature. “It is really an honor to have my story retold, by Mr. Mackie, for future generations to learn about our past so they can move forward knowing that progress is possible, and things do get better. I hope my story will inspire youth to continue to fight for civil rights and human dignity.”
In addition to directing Spark, Mackie is set to star in We Have A Ghost, Desert Warrior, Twisted Metal, Signal Hill, Panopticon, and of course, Captain America 4.