Focus Features is setting its sights on what could one of the funniest and brutally honest movies in 2024. Imagine the hilarity of The Blackening mixed with the hard-hitting truth of American Fiction.
From the mind of actor/comedian Kobi Libii (The Opposition with Jordan Klepper), comes the tale of “Magical Negros.” Yes, the old fashion stereotype of Black characters (mostly male) in cinema who appear out of nowhere (like magic) to dispense their knowledge to the White protagonist which helps them to achieve their goal. They have no character arc, no personality, no dimension; their only purpose is to help and assist the White hero.
Set to release in theaters on March 22nd (after premiering at Sundance), The American Society of Magical Negroes is a satirical comedy marking the feature directorial debut of Libii, it stars Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves), David Alan Grier (The Color Purple 2023), and more.
The film tells the story of a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier.
Sure to be a social commentary about how Black people are viewed by others in society, this trope is borne out of sub-conscience racism that ran rampant in Hollywood. Aside from the obvious use of discrimination against minorities, its function was to marginalize black agency, empower normalized and hegemonic forms of whiteness, and glorify powerful black characters in so long as they are placed in racially subservient positions.
Instead of getting life histories or love interests, black characters get magical powers. The most egregious use of “the Magical Negro” trope is The Green Mile, in which Michael Clarke Duncan, a gentle giant wrongly convicted of rape and murder, uses literal magical powers to heal warden Tom Hanks, cure his impotence, and save his cancer-stricken wife. He has no past, no family, and no desires of his own. He even willfully goes to the electric chair rather than standing up for himself and troubling others clearing his name and fighting for his freedom.
Cue The Golden Girls’ “Thank You for Being a Friend.”
The American Society of Magical Negroes also stars An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Aisha Hinds, Tim Baltz with Rupert Friend and Nicole Byer. It is Executive Produced by Mike Upton, Oren Moverman and Leonid Lebedev with Producers Julia Lebedev p.g.a., Eddie Vaisman p.g.a., Angel Lopez p.g.a., Kobi Libii p.g.a.
Check out the teaser poster and screenshot below.
