Jussie Smollett may not be saying goodbye to Empire, but that doesn’t mean he’s turning down new opportunities this off-season. The actor, best known for his portrayal as Jamal Lyon on the FOX hit series, took to social media to announce his new role as renowned poet Langston Hughes in Marshall.
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Had to go butt faced to be #LangstonHughes in #Marshall. Thank you @reghud for the opportunity. It’s been a dream🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/cNWVf0mBPs
— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) June 9, 2016
Chadwick Boseman, who isn’t a stranger to the world of biopics following his portrayal as Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up, will star as Thurgood Marshall in the upcoming film, which follows the young lawyer’s life in 1941, long before his appointment as the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967.
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Sent by the NAACP, Thurgood Marshall defends a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sensationalized sexual assault and attempted murder trial and partners with a young Jewish lawyer named Samuel Friedman to struggle against a segregationist court. The film is reportedly slated for a 2016 release date.