It’s no secret that Mo’Nique has had an ongoing feud with Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey after the Almost Christmas star’s 2010 Academy Award win for her leading role in Daniels’ Precious. Now, after 13 years of tension, it appears the actress and Daniels have found common ground.
The 54-year-old is set to replace Octavia Spencer in Daniels’ forthcoming thriller, Demon House. Spencer has to step away from the Netflix acquisition, due to scheduling conflicts. The film also stars Andra Day, Glenn Close, Caleb McLaughlin, and Aunjanue Ellis—who’s fresh off the heels of her Academy Award nomination. Sources told Deadline the film package was worth an estimated $65 million.
Demon House follows the widely publicized case of Latoya Ammons and her three children from Gary, Ind. who claim to have experienced “strange incidents [including but not limited to] the children levitating, becoming violent with one another and speaking in growls and deep voices with no recollection afterward.” Local authorities, the Department of Child Services, and local religious and medical institutions all became involved with reports claiming to have witnessed said occurrences.
According to Deadline, Ammons optioned her rights to Relativity when the story first became public in 2014. However, Relativity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the film was never made. Daniels rewrote the script and used Ammons’ case to create a fictional thriller in the similar vein of The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, The Conjuring, and other horror franchises inspired by or based on true events.
The news comes just weeks after 50 Cent declared he’d be putting Mo’Nique “back on” after she broke her silence with TS Madison in February. The Power mogul wrote, “I gotta get @therealmoworldwide back in pocket. We only [supposed] to cancel sh*t that ain’t good for the culture. We need you to WIN again now MO’NIQUE.”
On Friday night (April 1), the two publically reunited during the comedienne’s Mo’Nique and Friends: April Fools Day with The Queen of Comedy event at St. George Theatre in New York City’s Staten Island. Daniels joined her on stage and issued a public apology.
“I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did,” Daniels said to her. “Y’all, and she was my best friend — my best friend. Y’all think that Precious was just … That was God working, through both of us. And we’re gonna f**king do it again!”
Mo’Nique is set to star in Courtney Glaude’s The Reading, slated for release later this year. Production for Demon House is set to begin in June.
So went to see #monique & she brought out #leedaniels ? #NoAprilFools pic.twitter.com/HOt7Hf90gD
— Sade Salami (@sadesalami) April 2, 2022