Judas and the Black Messiah 2021

Movie · 126 min · English · February 1, 2021

Biographical drama Crime thriller Political drama

Directed by Shaka KingWritten by Will Berson, Shaka King

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders

A 2021 biographical historical crime drama film, Judas and the Black Messiah follows the story of Fred Hampton, who was the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late 1960s Chicago. The film portrays his betrayal by William O'Neal, an FBI informant played by LaKeith Stanfield. This drama was directed and produced by Shaka King, with Will Berson co-writing the screenplay. The story was originally developed by the directing team along with Kenny and Keith Lucas.

The project had been in development for several years, with the Lucas brothers and Will Berson each working on screenplays individually since 2014. Berson’s version was close to being made with F. Gary Gray attached as director, but King took over direction when that fell through. Casting occurred in 2019 with the approval of Hampton's family; principal photography started that fall in Ohio. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, and Martin Sheen.

Judas and the Black Messiah made its debut at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on February 1, 2021 and was distributed in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 12, available both in theaters and digitally on HBO Max. Released during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film earned $7 million worldwide against a $26 million budget. Critics gave it strong reviews, highlighting King's direction, cinematography, screenplay, and performances—especially those of Kaluuya, Stanfield, and Fishback. The movie received six Oscar nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Stanfield, ultimately winning Best Supporting Actor (Kaluuya) and Best Original Song ("Fight for You"). Kaluuya also won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and BAFTA Awards. Since its release, Judas and the Black Messiah has been recognized as one of the best films of the 2020s.