News and Announcements From Sundance: Onyx Collective Continues To Expand Its Slate for Hulu

Onyx Collective continues to expand its slate of premium programming for Hulu. The brand, which focuses on creators of color and underrepresented voices, made several announcements from their Sundance Film Festival panel today: Documentary film pick up of “Anthem” from Proximity Media and This Machine, Onyx Collective in development on scripted drama series “Sheba” from Proximity Media, documentary feature film acquisition of “Untitled Sly Stone” (working title) from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and Onyx Collective pens overall deal with Academy Award®, BAFTA and Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker Joseph Patel. Additional details on all announcements are below.

Onyx Collective Picks Up Documentary Film ‘Anthem,’ From Proximity Media and This Machine

 

Directed by Peter Nicks, ‘Anthem’ Follows Acclaimed Composer Kris Bowers and GRAMMY®-Winning Music Producer Dahi as They Take on a Musical Journey Traveling Across America in a Bold Experiment To Reimagine America’s National Anthem

• Onyx Collective picks up the documentary film “Anthem” for Hulu from Proximity Media’s overall deal with Onyx Collective in partnership with This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television).
• Reflecting upon “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Anthem” follows acclaimed composer Kris Bowers (“Bridgerton,” “When They See Us,” “King Richard”) and GRAMMY-winning music producer Dahi (Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Drake) as they take a musical journey traveling across America to create a new sound, inspired by what our country’s national anthem might be if written in today’s time.
• Producers:
  • Peter Nicks (Proximity)
  • Kris Bowers
  • Sean Havey
  • Chris L. Jenkins
  • Ryan Coogler (Proximity)
• Executive Producers:
  • R.J. Cutler (This Machine)
  • Elise Pearlstein (This Machine)
  • Zinzi Coogler (Proximity)
  • Sev Ohanian (Proximity)
• Director:
  • Peter Nicks (Proximity)

Onyx Collective in Development on Scripted Drama Series ‘Sheba’ From Proximity Media

• “Sheba,” a one-hour scripted drama series, is currently under development with Proximity Media for Onyx Collective.
• Co-created by Chantelle Wells (“Yellowjackets”) and Azie Tesfai (“Supergirl”) and to be written by Wells, Proximity Media will executive produce via their overall deal with Onyx Collective, along with Wells, Tesfai and Proximity Media’s Ryan Coogler, Kalia King, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler.
• “Sheba” explores the rise to power of the first queen on the continent of Africa as she seeks to unite the nation we now know as Ethiopia, making it one of the richest, most formidable kingdoms in the world. Inspired by true events, we follow Makeda into a world of danger, deceit and political intrigue as she is forced to step into a role that no one, including her, ever imagined as the Queen of Sheba.
• Azie Tesfai is an actress, writer and social entrepreneur. Tesfai co-starred and wrote on CW’s “Supergirl” as ex-military psychologist Kelly Olsen and DC comics superhero “The Guardian.” The first Ethiopian person to ever portray a comic superhero on screen. She previously played homicide detective Nadine Hansan in the Golden Globe®-nominated series “Jane the Virgin,” as former partner to Michael Cordero. Tesfai is currently writing a pilot, “The Chase,” which is in development at NBC. Headshot: LINK / Photo Credit: Bobby Quillard
• Chantelle Wells is an Emmy®-nominated writer and producer, most recently on Marvel’s upcoming limited series “Echo” for Disney+. Wells has also written for Showtime’s critically acclaimed and Emmy-nominated hit drama “Yellowjackets,” for which she was also nominated for two Writers Guild Awards. While earning her master’s for writing and producing for television from Loyola Marymount University, Wells wrote an original pilot, which landed her the CBS Writing Fellowship en route to her first TV writing job on The CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” followed by NBC’s “Good Girls.” Headshot: LINK / Photo Credit: Michelle Wells.

New Documentary Feature Film ‘Untitled Sly Stone’ (Working Title) From Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson Acquired by Onyx Collective

Examining the Life and Career of Musical Artist Sly Stone, Questlove To Direct, Derik Murray to Produce, and Joseph Patel To Produce and Write, Kicking Off His Newly Minted Onyx Collective Deal

• Onyx Collective announces the acquisition of the feature film documentary “Untitled Sly Stone” (working title) from MRC, Network Entertainment Inc., Sylvester Stewart, Two One Five Entertainment Inc., Stardust Films LLC and ID8 Multimedia, Inc. in association with Sony Music Entertainment.
• Oscar®-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson directs his sophomore feature documentary follow-up to “Summer of Soul,” examining the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone. This film tells the story behind the rise, reign and fadeout of one of pop music’s most influential artists and, in doing so, tells a very human story about the cost of genius.
• Executive Producers:
  • Brian Gersh (Network Entertainment Inc.)
  • Sylvester Stone (Sylvester Stewart)
  • Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Two One Five Entertainment Inc.)
  • Shawn Gee (Two One Five Entertainment Inc.)
  • Zarah Zohlman (Two One Five Entertainment Inc.)
  • Lonnie Rashid Lynn, aka Common (Stardust Films LLC)
  • Derek Dudley (ID8 Multimedia, Inc.)
  • Shelby Stone (ID8 Multimedia, Inc.)
  • Ron Weisner
  • Paul Gertz  (Network Entertainment Inc.)
• Producers:
  • Joseph Patel
  • Derik Murray (Network Entertainment Inc.)
• Writers:
  • Joseph Patel
  • Jeff Mao
• Director:
  • Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Two One Five Entertainment Inc.)

Joseph Patel Signs Overall Deal With Onyx Collective

• Onyx Collective announces a multiyear overall deal with Academy Award, BAFTA and Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker Joseph Patel (“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”)
• Under the terms of the agreement, Patel will produce, write and direct new projects through his production company, Dub Version, for Onyx Collective.
• Joseph Patel is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker working as a producer, director and writer. He recently produced the feature “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. The film won the 2021 Oscar for Best Documentary Film, as well as multiple other awards (BAFTA, Peabody, GRAMMY, Independent Spirit, PGA, Critics Choice, and Sundance’s Grand Jury and Audience Awards). Patel began his career as a music and culture journalist based in California. He later produced and directed television, short films and digital content for MTV, Vice Media, The Fader and Vevo. Patel will next be a producer of an upcoming documentary on Sly and the Family Stone with Questlove. Patel lives in Brooklyn with his wife and dog. Headshot: LINK / Photo Credit: Joseph Patel
• Joseph Patel is repped by Kate Hurwitz at Cinetic Media, and Marc Simon, Alex Threadgold and Daniel Spencer at Fox Rothschild LLP

ABOUT ONYX COLLECTIVE
Onyx Collective, formed under Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE), is a premium content brand. Programming exclusively available to stream on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories, Onyx Collective was designed to curate thought-provoking entertainment content by creators of color and offers an exciting slate for a global audience, including critically acclaimed debut project Questlove’s Oscar®-winning documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”; “The Hair Tales,” from executive producers Tracee Ellis Ross, Michaela angela Davis and Oprah Winfrey; legal drama “Reasonable Doubt,” from executive producers Raamla Mohamed, Kerry Washington and Larry Wilmore; limited series “The Plot,” executive produced and starring two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali; award-winning documentary, “Aftershock,” from directors Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee; docu-series “Gigante,” featuring Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger), and comedy series “Unprisoned,” executive produced and starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo.

The brand’s roster of prolific creators also includes Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Black Panther”), writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) and his production company Family Owned, writer, producer and director Prentice Penny’s Penny for Your Thoughts, writer and comedian Natasha Rothwell (“Insecure,” “SNL”), writer-producer Erika Green Swafford and her production company Chocolate Girl Wonder, Yara Shahidi with her 7th Sun Production Company, and most recently writer-producer Jason Kim (“Barry,” “KPOP”).

Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @OnyxCollective

Media Relations Contacts
Fowzia Iranpur
fowzia.iranpur@disney.com

Press materials are available at www.dgepress.com.