Mario Van Peebles News

Last night, the tour production of MJ opened at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre. See footage from curtain call!

Emmy Award-winning actor Andre Braugher has passed away at the age of 61. 

Ellen Holly, the first Black person to have a lead role in daytime television, has passed away at 92. She was a theater actress, starred on Broadway, and was a published author. Her autobiography detailed her career and her historic Black family.

Check out photos from the special advancing screening with Grammy and Tony-Award winner Patina Miller, MeKai Curtis, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Shanley Caswell, Antonio Ortiz, Grantham Coleman, Tony Danza, Wendell Pierce, and Erika Woods. Other attendees included “Real Housewives of the Potomac” star Candiace Dillard Bassett.

Inspired by the life and art of Michael Jackson, MJ features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize® winner Lynn Nottage and a score made up of some of the best-loved, top-selling songs in recording history. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon directs and choreographs.

Today, the full list of nominees for the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” were announced. Nominees included Ariana DeBose, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto, Cynthia Erivo, Audra McDonald, Respect, Taraji P. Henson, Tituss Burgess, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, Denzel Washington, and more. Check out the full list of nominees now!

As BroadwayWorld reported in March, Melvin Van Peebles' musical 'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death' has been planning for a Broadway next year. The production will proceed, despite the recent death of the playwright, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 89. The show will now be dedicated to Peebles.

A tribute to a transformative artist whose caustic social observation, radical formal innovation, and uncompromising vision established a new cinematic model for Black creative independence.

The latest episode of The Eff Your Fears podcast, hosted by Ashley Monique Menard, features the multi-talented Patrick Oliver Jones (Why I'll Never Make It), sharing her journey from Disney, Vegas, Pre Broadway, and into podcasting and producing.

Melvin Van Peebles' musical 'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death' is set to be revived on Broadway next year.

Lifetime unveils airdates for two all-new authorized biopics and three new documentaries centered on some of the most iconic women in pop culture history.

AMC and IFC announced today the renewal of the Critics' Choice Awards-nominated variety series Sherman's Showcase for a second season ahead of the show's one-hour “Black History Month Spectacular” premiering this Friday, June 19th at 10PM ET/PT on AMC and 11PM ET/PT on IFC.  Six all-new, 30-minute episodes are slated to air in 2021.

AMC and IFC announced today that the Critics' Choice Award-nominated Sherman's Showcase will officially return on June 19 – Juneteenth – with a one-hour “Black History Month Spectacular” on both networks, premiering at 10PM ET/PT on AMC, followed by an 11PM ET/PT premiere on IFC.

Jane Fonda (seven-time Golden Globe Award winner), Serge Bromberg (Lobster Films, Founder), Eddie Muller (Film Noir Foundation, President), Sandra Schulberg (IndieCollect, President & Executive Director), Chaz Ebert, (Wife of the late Robert Ebert), and Mario Van Peebles (Director, New Jack City) joined the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and American Cinematheque at the HFPA Film Restoration Summit held at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles.

IFC announced today that the Critics' Choice Award-nominated Sherman's Showcase will return with a one-hour “Black History Month Spectacular” this summer (yes, you read that right). Created by and starring Bashir Salahuddin (Top Gun: Maverick, South Side) and Diallo Riddle (Marlon, South Side), and executive produced by John Legend's Get Lifted Film Co. and RadicalMedia, the witty, irreverent and wholly original Sherman's Showcase “Black History Month Spectacular” will feature more of the sketches, A-list guest stars, and original hit, award-winning songs that, all together, earned the series a 100% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and inclusion on numerous 'Best of 2019' lists.

IFC's critically-acclaimed Sherman's Showcase comes to Hulu Wednesday, December 11. Created by Emmy-nominated writers Diallo Riddle (Marlon, Rise) and Bashir Salahuddin (GLOW, Snatched) and executive produced by John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius at Get Lifted Film Co. & Frank Scherma and Jim Bouvet of RadicalMedia, the series currently boasts a very impressive 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  

Let's talk about...Lifetime's highly anticipated 3- hour biopic on pioneering female rap group Salt-N-Pepa has found its leading cast with GG Townson (In the Cut, Everybody Hates Chris) as Cheryl 'Salt' James and Laila Odom (The Bobby DeBarge Story, Undercover Brother 2) set to portray Sandra 'Pepa' Denton. Currently in production in Toronto, the authorized biopic uncovers the women behind the music and reveals how their very different personalities - one salt of the earth, the other hot and spicy - fueled their creativity and tested the bonds of their enduring friendship. The project will also star Cleveland Berto as music producer 'Hurby Azor,' Jermel Howard as rapper 'Treach' and Monique Paul stars as 'DJ Spinderella.' by Sony Pictures Television, Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City) is directing.

Shout! Factory TV, the digital entertainment streaming service, is set to launch its first original digital docuseries CULT-TASTIC: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES WITH ROGER AND JULIE CORMAN. Created, written and co-produced by Ashley Sidaway and Robert Sidaway, the 13-part series about the life and work of Roger and Julie Corman, provides viewers an extraordinary look inside the Cormans' cinematic universe and features extensive in-depth interviews. The series will premiere November 15th on Shout! Factory TV's Amazon Prime Video Channel and via Roku Channel's Premium Subscription.

Deadline reports that actor and filmmaker Malcolm M. Mays will write the reboot of 'New Jack City.' The original film was released in 1991.

Variety reports that actor, writer, and showrunner Lena Waithe's Showtime series “How to Make Love to a Black Woman (Who May Be Working Through Some Sh*t)' has cast several of its leading roles.