Son of South is set for release in Select Theaters, VOD, and Digital on February 5, 2021, and follows the grandson of a Klansman who comes of age during the early 60's in the deep south before eventually joining the Civil Rights Movement. Based on Bob Zellner's autobiography The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, it's a hard-hitting, and often surprisingly humorous, look at this period of history.
Executive produced by legendary filmmaker Spike Lee, the film stars Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class), Lex Scott Davis (Training Day), Lucy Hale (Fantasy Island), Cedric The Entertainer (Power), and Julia Ormond (The Walking Dead: World Beyond). Barry Alexander Brown wrote the screenplay alongside Bob Zellner, while he also directs the movie. If the name rings a bell, it's because he's a frequent collaborator of Lee's who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing in 2018.
That was for BlacKkKlansman, a movie which battled Black Panther for "Best Picture" the same year. So, when we caught up with the filmmaker, we had to ask if he'd be interested in directing a comic book adaptation.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "I’m a big Marvel fan. I had all the early Spider-Man comic books. I was a big Thor fan. I’m not very critical of the Marvel movies that are really good, and I can name the ones I think are good. When they’re good, they’re just really good. They’re really good cinema."
"I liked Black Panther. I liked the first two Iron Man movies. The Spider-Man movies. A lot of those are so good. Into the Spider-Verse...I met those guys when we were out in California during the time we were nominated, and I thought that was the best edited feature of the year," Brown continued. "That is so inventive, and so exciting. After what they did, I said, ‘I’m just glad I’m not up against you guys.’ [Laughs] That is superior filmmaking. A friend of mine, Mira Nair, had the chance to direct a Harry Potter, and she didn’t do it. I said, ‘Mira...I can’t believe you didn’t do it!’ I’d have loved to do a Harry Potter!"
Given his work on movies like Malcolm X and Son of the South, Brown would be a perfect fit for a powerful story like Black Panther or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and clearly loves the genre. Regardless of the character, though, it would be great to see his spin on any hero, a statement we're sure you'll agree with after watching Son of the South.
Check out the trailer below: