As reported by Variety, Jackie Earle Haley and Sons Of Anarchy’s Mark Boone Junior have joined The Birth Of A Nation, a movie that is thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, not a remake of a certain other movie called that. That title is actually being used ironically, as the film—which is being directed by Nate Parker—will be a drama about Nat Turner’s 1832 slave rebellion. In other words, this one will be about killing slave owners, while the other one was a racist epic that celebrated the Ku Klux Klan.
Parker will also star in The Birth Of A Nation (and he wrote the script, just to cover all the bases), along with Armie Hammer and How To Get Away With Murder’s Aja Naomi King. Variety says Haley will be “a slave patrol captain who takes pride in controlling the movements of the county’s slaves” and Boone (Boone Junior? He’s got a confusing name) will play “a crafty preacher.” Now, “crafty preacher” doesn’t sound quite as bad as “prideful slave controller,” but we’re pretty sure this all just means they’ll both be playing evil white people.