Adam Driver Joins Spike Lee’s ‘Black Klansman’

EXCLUSIVE: Adam Driver has boarded Spike Lee’s Black Klansman which the filmmaker is producing with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, QC Entertainment and Blumhouse. Focus Features is releasing.

Driver will play Flip, a Jewish undercover police officer who is the best of the Colorado Springs police force. He’s already had many years of experience and is a quick study. He is known on the force for being anti-social, and he’s a perfectionist, critical of others’ mistakes, but brave and dedicated.

Lee is producing and directing Black Klansman which tells the story of Ron Stallworth, a detective in Colorado Springs, Colo., who dared to challenge the Ku Klux Klan and thwart its attempts to take over the city. Police Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) was at the center of an undercover investigation that reached the heights of the organization. Stallworth miraculously gained status in their ranks – the shocking fact in this incredible story is Stallworth is an African American man.

Driver, who next appears in Disney’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is repped by The Gersh Agency. Driver is a three-time Emmy award nominee for his turn in HBO’s Girls and he received the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his turn in the feature Hungry Hearts. Driver was also awarded best actor last year from the Toronto International Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his turn in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson. 

Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Spike Lee and Kevin Willmont adapted Black Klansman from Stallworth’s autobiography. Pic is produced by Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield, Shaun Redick, Jason Blum, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee.  QC’s Edward H. Hamm Jr. will serve as Executive Producer.  Focus President of Production Josh McLaughlin will supervise the project for the company. QC Entertainment have been developing the screenplay and project over the last two years.

Universal/Blumhouse and QC had enormous success earlier this year with Get Out which was a $253M global B.O. sensation off a $4.5M budget. The pic looks to be a serious awards contender this season already earning four Gotham Award noms including best picture and director for Peele. Focus Features as well has serious contenders on hand including Darkest Hour, Victoria and Abdul and The Beguiled. So, a serious confluence of labels here on Black Klansman. 

Laura Harrier of Spider-Man: Homecoming has also joined the cast of Black Klansman. Harrier is repped by ICM, and Soffer/Namoff Entertainment and Peikoff Mahan.