The legendary Arthur Ashe is set to get his onscreen due.
Ashe was noted champion of civil rights, both in the U.S. and abroad, and the onetime number one-ranked tennis player in the world—the only Black man, in fact, who has taken home the top trophies at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. Now, a team is working to tell his story, which according to reports, will center on the events of 1968. (The year was momentous for both Ashe personally, who won the U.S. Open in 1968, and the nation, which was experiencing widespread protests and tumult after the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.)
Here's what we know about the film so far.
A talented team is bringing the story to the big screen.
Veteran producer Ashok Amritraj—himself a former tennis pro—is teaming up with screenwriter Kevin Willmott (BlacKkKlansman, Da 5 Bloods) to make the biopic. Importantly, the Arthur Ashe Estate is backing the movie.
"Arthur’s legacy reaches far beyond his greatness as a tennis player," Amritraj said in a statement. "Always a gentleman; bold, graceful, and intellectual, while at the same time passionate in his fight against racial inequality and injustice."
Music will play a big role in the storytelling.
Warner Music Group is also involved in the project, and will help secure music rights to songs by Black artists from Ashe's era, including legends like Aretha Franklin, Prince, and Curtis Mayfield.
There's no timeline for the production as of yet.
The movie is still in very early stages, and no plans for a premiere date have been released.
Chloe is a News Writer for Townandcountrymag.com, where she covers royal news, from the latest additions to Meghan Markle’s staff to Queen Elizabeth’s monochrome fashions; she also writes about culture, often dissecting TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Killing Eve.
