Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler, his wife Zinzi Evans, and Sev Ohanian will team up for the adaptation of comic book series Bitter Root at Legendary Pictures.
According to Shadow and Act, the team will lead the development of a big-screen feature version of the comic book series by David F. Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown.
'Bitter Root': #RyanCoogler and #ZinziEvans to produce film adaptation of Harlem Renaissance fantasy comic book series at @Legendary https://t.co/8SjjsVFw82 pic.twitter.com/tAvCWEd9E8
— Shadow and Act (@shadowandact) October 3, 2019
According to Deadline, who first broke the news, the film is set during the Harlem Renaissance of 1924.
Bitter Root focuses on a fractured family of once-great monster hunters who must face an unimaginable evil that descends upon New York City. For generations, the Sangeryes have hunted and cured those infected by a supernatural force that feeds off the prejudice of the era, transforming human beings into hideous monsters. But their heyday has faded and with most of the family dead, and the surviving Sangeryes at odds between saving or killing these creatures, the remaining Sangeryes must overcome the wounds of the past in the hopes of thwarting the invasion.
The project was first put into development at Legendary in March 2018 when they acquired the rights. Walker, Greene, and Brown will executive produce with Sean Owolo from Big Machine. Legendary’s Jon Silk and Disney Hall will oversee.
Coogler has several projects in development including the upcoming Black Panther II which he will helm, and Space Jam 2 which he is producing.
Evans has become increasingly active in producing projects with Coogler. Ohanian co-produced Fruitvale Station and most recently the Sundance sleeper hit Searching and will exec producer on Space Jam 2.
