“On the Come Up,” the directorial debut of Emmy-nominee Sanaa Lathan, will debut exclusively on Paramount+ in September shortly following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“On the Come Up” is based on the New York Times #1 best-selling novel by Angie Thomas (“The Hate U Give”). It is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ Sept. 23 in the U.S., Canada and Italy and will be available in additional international territories later in the year.
The film stars newcomer Jamila C. Gray as Bri, a 16 year old and gifted rapper who attempts to take the battle rap scene by storm in order to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father – himself a local hip hop legend whose life was cut short by gang violence. But when her song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose upon her. Kay Oyegun wrote the script.
The coming-of-age film also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Mike Epps, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Justin Martin, Titus Makin, Michael Cooper Jr., GaTa, Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Lathan in a supporting role.
“On the Come Up” comes from the Paramount Pictures’ Players Label. It was produced by Temple Hill and State Street Pictures. The film is produced by George Tillman, Jr., Robert Teitel, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, Angie Thomas and Timothy M. Bourne and executive produced by John Fischer.
“We are thrilled to bring a truly inspiring film about fighting for your dreams to the service this fall,” Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount+ said in a statement. “’On the Come Up’ is a moving love letter to hip hop and an entertaining film for all ages.”
Lathan is an Emmy-nominee this year for her work on “Succession,” and she’s also known for “The Affair,” “Shots Fired,” “The Cleveland Show” and “Love and Basketball.” She recently joined the cast of “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” for Searchlight Pictures alongside Uzo Aduba and Aunjanue Ellis.
