Indiewire's Filmmaker Toolkit

The only way Shaka King was going to get a film made about the Chicago leader of the Black Panthers, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), was to mask it as ‘Donnie Brasco’ genre film, and on this podcast we break down the incredible structure and ingenuity of this remarkable script. Shaka also talks about collaborating with DP Sean Bobbitt (after Bradford Young had to step away form the project), how the 'Judas' team turned modern day Cleveland into the westside of Chicago of the late 60s, the music track the director played at every pitch meeting (much to Exec Prod Ryan Coogler's dismay), and actress Dominique Fishback's vital role in shaping the film's third act and the role of Deborah Johnson (now known as Akua Njeri). 'Judas and the Black Messiah' is streaming now on HBO Max. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices