Regina King has found her next directorial gig

Regina King is sinking her directorial teeth into her next feature film, and from the sounds of things, it’s going to be quite monstrous.

The award-winning actor and acclaimed director is on board to produce and direct the upcoming movie Bitter Root, based on the award-winning Image Comics by David F. Walker. She, along with Legendary Entertainment, her sister Reina King and the producing team behind Black Panther (including Ryan Coogler) have secured the rights to adapt the 2018 comic.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the movie is kind of like what you’d get if Get Out and Blade, the Vampire Hunter had a love child. That’s because Bitter Root revolves around a family of formerly great monster hunters who face a crisis when evil comes to New York City.

Bitter Root is also a period piece, set in 1924 during the Harlem Renaissance. Despite taking place in the past, the film is said to also be a modern social commentary thanks to its exploration of prejudice and racism.

“For generations, the Sangeryes have hunted and cured those infected by a supernatural force that feeds off of prejudice and transforms humans into monsters,” reads a statement from Legendary. “But with most of the family gone, the remaining Sangeryes disagree over saving or killing the monsters.”

Fans of the comics out there should rest assured that the creative team behind this one sounds legit. Legendary is the same production house that has brought the MonsterVerse (Godzilla and co.) to life, plus it has backed buzzy projects like Spike Lee’s Blackkklansman and the upcoming Dune.

For her part, King received tons of critical acclaim over the past year for her directorial debut in One Night in Miami. And the year before that she garnered acclaim for her work onscreen in Watchmen, which was one of the most socially relevant TV shows of 2019 and brought international awareness to The Tulsa Massacre, a 1921 tragedy that had been buried in history.

While King didn’t take home any hardware at the traditionally recognized shows this past awards season, the Oscar and four-time Emmy winner was recognized for her skills behind-the-camera with nominations at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the Directors Guild of America Awards. (She won at the Black Reel Awards and the Black Film Critics Circle Awards.)

So far no casting on Bitter Root has been announced. Bryan Edward Hill (Titans), is working on the screenplay and comic creators Walker, Sanford Green and Chuck Brown are also on board as executive producers.

Need more King in your life in the meantime? Keep your eyes peeled for the actor in her next film, a western called The Harder They Fall, alongside Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors and Delroy Lindo. That movie is currently in post-production and is expected to drop later this year.

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