Melina Matsoukas to Direct ‘Parable of the Sower’ for Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)
Melina Matsoukas has found her next directorial project in Octavia E. Butler’s landmark sci-fi odyssey “Parable of the Sower.”
Matsoukas, whose resume includes “Queen & Slim,” “Insecure” and several key collaborations with Beyoncé, will direct and produce the film adaptation of Butler’s 1993 dystopian novel. Hailed as “notable book of the year” by the New York Times upon its original publication, “Parable of the Sower” became a New York Times bestseller in 2020, 27 years later, due to its prescience and enduring notoriety.
The novel is set in early 2020s California as global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos. The central hero is Lauren Olamina, a young woman who suffers from hyperempathy — a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions; the story follows as the surrounding anarchy creeps into her family’s small community, and she must navigate the fallout.
“But what begins as a fight for survival,” a synopsis of the book explains, “soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith and a startling vision of human destiny.”
Butler was a pioneer in the science-fiction genre, becoming the first Black woman to achieve national recognition for her work. In 1995, Butler was a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient; she also won the Hugo, SWFA and Nebula awards. Butler, who died in 2006, was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and won an NAACP Image Award for the graphic novel adaptation of the follow-up story, “Parable of the Talents.” The “Parable” novels are held in conversation with George Orwell’s “1984” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” for their prescience.
Like Butler, Matsoukas is known for her provocative brand of storytelling and its unique and inherently multicultural point of view.
In 2019, she made her feature directorial debut with “Queen & Slim,” starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, with a screenplay by Lena Waithe. Matsoukas won the National Board of Review’s prize for best directorial debut for the film. “Queen & Slim” was her second collaboration with Waithe, following the Emmy-winning “Thanksgiving” episode of Netflix’s “Master of None.” She began her television career as an executive producer and director of the critically acclaimed HBO series “Insecure,” and she most recently executive produced and directed “The Changeling” for Apple TV.
Matsoukas also brought her vision to music projects for the LA Philharmonic, Beyoncé (including the Grammy-winning video for “Formation”), Jay-Z, Rihanna (“We Found Love,” also a Grammy winner) and Lady Gaga, as well as helming global campaigns for Levi’s, Nike, Beats and Calvin Klein. She is repped by CAA.
In addition to directing, Matsoukas will produce “Parable of the Sower” via her company De La Revolucion, alongside Inga Veronique, the banner’s head of film and TV.
Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson (“The Hunger Games,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”) will also produce the movie with Jules Jackson, managing director of the late author’s estate, executive producing.
Jackson is also the managing director of Octavia E. Butler Enterprises, overseeing all matters related to the author’s critically acclaimed works, including all IP, licensing, publishing decisions, and management of Butler’s estate. Jackson is repped by Anonymous Content.
Khaliah Neal, head of film at Color Force, is overseeing “Parable of the Sower” for the company, and Sheila Walcott is overseeing the project on behalf of Warner Bros.
Matsoukas, whose resume includes “Queen & Slim,” “Insecure” and several key collaborations with Beyoncé, will direct and produce the film adaptation of Butler’s 1993 dystopian novel. Hailed as “notable book of the year” by the New York Times upon its original publication, “Parable of the Sower” became a New York Times bestseller in 2020, 27 years later, due to its prescience and enduring notoriety.
The novel is set in early 2020s California as global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos. The central hero is Lauren Olamina, a young woman who suffers from hyperempathy — a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions; the story follows as the surrounding anarchy creeps into her family’s small community, and she must navigate the fallout.
“But what begins as a fight for survival,” a synopsis of the book explains, “soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith and a startling vision of human destiny.”
Butler was a pioneer in the science-fiction genre, becoming the first Black woman to achieve national recognition for her work. In 1995, Butler was a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient; she also won the Hugo, SWFA and Nebula awards. Butler, who died in 2006, was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and won an NAACP Image Award for the graphic novel adaptation of the follow-up story, “Parable of the Talents.” The “Parable” novels are held in conversation with George Orwell’s “1984” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” for their prescience.
Like Butler, Matsoukas is known for her provocative brand of storytelling and its unique and inherently multicultural point of view.
In 2019, she made her feature directorial debut with “Queen & Slim,” starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, with a screenplay by Lena Waithe. Matsoukas won the National Board of Review’s prize for best directorial debut for the film. “Queen & Slim” was her second collaboration with Waithe, following the Emmy-winning “Thanksgiving” episode of Netflix’s “Master of None.” She began her television career as an executive producer and director of the critically acclaimed HBO series “Insecure,” and she most recently executive produced and directed “The Changeling” for Apple TV.
Matsoukas also brought her vision to music projects for the LA Philharmonic, Beyoncé (including the Grammy-winning video for “Formation”), Jay-Z, Rihanna (“We Found Love,” also a Grammy winner) and Lady Gaga, as well as helming global campaigns for Levi’s, Nike, Beats and Calvin Klein. She is repped by CAA.
In addition to directing, Matsoukas will produce “Parable of the Sower” via her company De La Revolucion, alongside Inga Veronique, the banner’s head of film and TV.
Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson (“The Hunger Games,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”) will also produce the movie with Jules Jackson, managing director of the late author’s estate, executive producing.
Jackson is also the managing director of Octavia E. Butler Enterprises, overseeing all matters related to the author’s critically acclaimed works, including all IP, licensing, publishing decisions, and management of Butler’s estate. Jackson is repped by Anonymous Content.
Khaliah Neal, head of film at Color Force, is overseeing “Parable of the Sower” for the company, and Sheila Walcott is overseeing the project on behalf of Warner Bros.