‘King Richard’s Reinaldo Marcus Green Sets New Film At Lionsgate

EXCLUSIVE: After directing Will Smith to a SAG Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated performance in King Richard, which has been nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Reinaldo Marcus Green has set up a new project with Lionsgate—an untitled dramedy that he will write, direct and produce for the studio.

In the film, a young man facing mounting school loans moves in with his Puerto Rican mother, who he didn’t grow up with. What begins as a way to save money becomes a life-changing education about his parents, love, and himself. Aaron Edmonds and Chisom Ude are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

“We’re huge fans of Rei’s – he’s a huge reason why King Richard is such an award season favorite,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s President, Nathan Kahane. “His incredible talent lets him tap into untold stories that celebrate cultures and traditions along with a universal humanity that runs through us all. We responded to this story immediately and we could not be more excited to be working with one of the premier rising voices in filmmaking today.”

Green’s latest film King Richard offered a look at how tennis superstars Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton) became who they are after coaching from their father Richard Williams (Smith). The acclaimed Warner Bros. drama is also nominated for Best Picture at the Producers Guild Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards and was named one of the Top 10 Films of the Year by both AFI and the National Board of Review.

Green made his feature directorial debut with Monsters and Men, starring John David Washington, Anthony Ramos and Kelvin Harrison Jr., which watched as an African American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom were inspired to take a stand, in the aftermath of a police killing of a Black man. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature, and was picked up for distribution by Neon.

The filmmaker’s second feature, Joe Bell, starring Mark Wahlberg, told the true story of a small-town, working-class father who embarked on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son was tormented in high school for being gay. That drama premiered at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival and was distributed by Amazon and Roadside Attractions.

Green also directed the miniseries Amend: The Fight for America, as well as the first three episodes of the Netflix series Top Boy, executive produced by Drake and SpringHill Entertainment. He is currently in post-production on the upcoming HBO limited series We Own This City, having directed all episodes of the show written and exec produced by David Simon and George Pelecanos. Green is also currently attached to co-write and direct an upcoming Bob Marley biopic for Paramount.

Green is represented by WME and Granderson Des Rochers. Robert Melnik negotiated the deal for his new film on behalf of Lionsgate.