The Hate U Give | 20th Century Fox

[Blitzkrieg]

“Hunger Games” alum Amandla Stenberg will star in the film adaptation of “The Hate U Give,” an upcoming YA novel inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

HarperCollins’ Balzer & Bray just won the publishing rights to the timely book, written by first-time novelist Angela Thomas. Shortly thereafter, a bidding war kicked off for the film rights. Fox 2000, Temple Hill and State Street came out victorious. Audrey Wells (“Shall We Dance”) will pen the script.

This seems like a great fit for budding activist Stenberg, who has previously used social media to tackle cultural appropriation and sexism. The actress also co-wrote a series for Stranger Comics about a hybrid elf-human warrior, “Niobe: She Is Life.” “I think it’s the first comic book that has a black female writer and a black female illustrator and a black female lead, so it’s really exciting,” said the teen.

Directed by George Tillman, The Hate U Give follows Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. The film, which was adapted by Audrey Wells from Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel, also stars KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Sabrina and Carpenter. Producers are Robert Teitel, George Tillman, Jr., Marty Bowen, and Wyck Godfrey.

 

[Silvermoon]

Will definitely be seeing this movie.

 

[kevork89]

Wow this looks absolutely fantastic. Definitely watching this. And Amandla is one to watch.

 

[jed]

I was actually excited to see this movie, but now I think I just skipped and passed on this movie.

Let me explain why.


Firstly, the whole Kian Lawley controversy. That video was filmed many years ago and he has already apologised on twitter. I don't understand why do they still have to fire him from the movie. I kind of feel injustice for Kian Lawley.


Secondly, the main girl, Amandla Stenberg is actually half Caucasian/half African American.

Given the theme this movie centers on, they could have at least choose not to cast a light skinned/biracial actress for the main girl role.

I mean, if you look at the book cover of "The Hate U give", it clearly shows a dark skinned girl holding the sign.


I don't know. It seems to me like sometimes, the only way minorities can play leading roles in Hollywood movies is that they must have Caucasian blood in them.


Example: The upcoming "Crazy Rich Asians". Henry Golding who is half Caucasian/half Asian is playing an Asian character. Golding doesn't even look totally Asian. He looks very Eurasian. But in the movie, he is supposedly playing an ethnically Chinese character.


And the upcoming Young Adult movie "The Sun is also a Star". The main girl and guy are being played by biracial actors/actress.... Charles Melton and Yara Shahidi.

Charles Melton looks very Eurasian, but in the movie, he is supposed to be playing an ethnically Korean American character.


Sorry but I can't support these movies, because that would mean it's okay for Hollywood to do whatever they want and get away with these absurd casting decisions.

 

[terry78]

Biracial is "just ethnic enough."

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I'm just gonna watch THUG because Amandla Stenberg is so cute. She is absolutely stunning.

 

[Silvermoon]

Secondly, the main girl, Amandla Stenberg is actually half Caucasian/half African American.

Given the theme this movie centers on, they could have at least choose not to cast a light skinned/biracial actress for the main girl role.

I mean, if you look at the book cover of "The Hate U give", it clearly shows a dark skinned girl holding the sign.


I don't know. It seems to me like sometimes, the only way minorities can play leading roles in Hollywood movies is that they must have Caucasian blood in them.


Example: The upcoming "Crazy Rich Asians". Henry Golding who is half Caucasian/half Asian is playing an Asian character. Golding doesn't even look totally Asian. He looks very Eurasian. But in the movie, he is supposedly playing an ethnically Chinese character.


And the upcoming Young Adult movie "The Sun is also a Star". The main girl and guy are being played by biracial actors/actress.... Charles Melton and Yara Shahidi.

Charles Melton looks very Eurasian, but in the movie, he is supposed to be playing an ethnically Korean American character.


Sorry but I can't support these movies, because that would mean it's okay for Hollywood to do whatever they want and get away with these absurd casting decisions.

The thing to note (especially in this case where the film rights were picked up extremely early), they cast the film before the book was released...in fact I think even before the cover had even been created/revealed (additional note: Author's might be asked for some input or feedback on covers, but sometimes - especially new authors (who are not self-publishing) - they don't have much say into what the end cover actually looks like). Some have noted in the book that Starr is described as having a "caramel" complexion. Seeing as caramel can range in tones (from medium tones to lighter tones), I think Amandla can fit that description. In this case, I don't think the actress being biracial will lessen the message of the film.

Just my opinion

 

[Holiday]

I saw the trailer for this with Ant-Man and wasn't impressed. It's tough subject matter and based on the trailer I don't think they have executed it well.

 

[terry78]

It's based on a YA novel that came out last year.

 

[DACrowe]

Yes, colorism is a thing in Hollywood (although I can't stand those folks on social media who go after the actual actresses and actors who get these roles and claim they're not really [insert-ethnic-identity]). The issue is the studios themselves thinking this is what sells.

With that said, this movie looks like a definite must-see. It really looks to have a timely and painful hook, and looks like it will be very therapeutic.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Toronto Film Review: ‘The Hate U Give’

It probably shouldn’t be possible to make a big, broad, laugh-and-cry-engaging studio movie that hinges on the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer (and how chilling it is that this ugly phrase has long since become a stale cliché). But with his adaptation of Angie Thomas’ bestseller “The Hate U Give,” George Tillman Jr. has done just that, pulling off a brilliantly modulated balancing act between dark and light, anger and optimism, white privilege mined for pointed laughs and black fury portrayed as a galvanizing force for change. Entertaining, enraging, and ultimately deeply moving, “The Hate U Give” is poised to be a hit, and deserves to be.

'The Hate U Give': Film Review | TIFF 2018

A vivid dive into the human cost of police shootings that never feels like a movie of the week, George Tillman, Jr.'s adaptation of Angie Thomas's novel The Hate U Give makes an unlikely girl the sole witness to an unarmed boy's death and watches her struggle to decide whether to speak up. Not the only current film to address this dilemma — god help us, the phenomenon continues to be so commonplace it demands several different kinds of stories in response — it is one solidly engineered to engage viewers across racial/economic/political spectrums. (And only occasionally suffers from that engineering.) Marking a career highlight for Tillman creatively, it's likely to be a commercial one as well.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

T.H.U.G has 83 on MC after 17 reviews & it's at 95% (8.3 avg. rating from all critics & 8.7 avg. rating from top critics) on RT after 43 reviews. That's very impressive.

 

[samsnee]

Reviews have been really good. Sad story that the screenwriter died of cancer the day before this was released.

 

[AResistor]

Just saw it and loved it. Very eye opening, for me at least, and brought up many things I never considered before beyond the shootings.

 

[terry78]

Yeah, it talks about stuff that should be common knowledge amongst the populous, but it takes a YA novel to catch a lot of attention. It did its job.

 

[AResistor]

Yeah, it talks about stuff that should be common knowledge amongst the populous, but it takes a YA novel to catch a lot of attention. It did its job.

Well, the shootings are common knowledge.

“The talk” isn’t - that’ll be new for many white people who haven’t seen ‘Blackish.’

As a private school basically white guy, a lot like Chris, it never occurred to me that some would feel a need to lead a double life based upon their race or where they come from, for example. Despite having led a double life too due to hiding that I’m queer at a religious prep school.

I lean towards Malcolm X and didn’t know there was a whole ten point Black Panthers ideology which is awesomely akin to socialistic thought.

Etc. It goes into the shootings, but a lot more than that as well.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

THUG received an A+ cinemascore. That's awesome.

2018 has been a banner year for movies with A+ cinemascores. 5 is a new record for a year (Black Panther, I Can Only Imagine, Love, Simon, The Incredibles 2 & THUG).

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[scarlet-witch]

I cried like a baby in this. It was really well done. (I haven't read the book so I can't compare the two)

 

[Silvermoon]

We saw it on Saturday, absolutely LOVED it. Very powerful movie and really well done. My sister has read the book (which reminds me, need to remind her to bring the book back from her classroom so me and my mom can now read it) and she was really happy with how it turned out. This will definitely be one we get on home release as well. Not an easy movie to watch, but one that should be watched.

Also, tidbit that my sister let us know - in case anyone didn't catch it/didn't know. Angie Thomas does have a cameo in the movie...

spoiler tag just in case

Spoiler: Where is Angie Thomas?

Near the end of the movie when Starr is at the protest march (after finding out One-Fifteen was not indicted) and she talks to Ofrah (the lawyer/activist lady) about wanting to speak out, another woman walks up to hand Starr the blue t-shirt, that was Angie with the t-shirt

 

[scarlet-witch]

I did read the changed the reason

Spoiler

Khalil reached into the car. Apparently in the book he doesn't reach for a hair brush and just opens the door to check on Starr. I thought that was a strange thing to change.

 

[Silvermoon]

I did read the changed the reason

Spoiler

Khalil reached into the car. Apparently in the book he doesn't reach for a hair brush and just opens the door to check on Starr. I thought that was a strange thing to change.

I'm in the *checks placement of bookmark* middle-ish of reading the book...I think I can understand maybe why they chose to do that

Spoiler: Spoilers for the book and movie

While in the book you are correct in what you heard that Khalil is shot when he opens the car door to check on Starr (and not because he had a hairbrush in his hand), a hairbrush does end up being part of the narrative in what happened.

Just to give book info (for those reading this spoiler but that haven't read the book). Before the incident... the hairbrush is first mentioned while Starr and Khalil are in the car talking about the shooting at the party:

I pick at a crack in the seat. "Who you think got shot?"

Khalil gets his hairbrush out the compartment on the door. "Probably a King Lord," he says, brushing the sides of his fade. "Some Garden Disciples came in when I got there. Something was bound to pop off."

The Hate U Give :: Chapter 1 :: Page 16-17

Then, during the incident, Starr asks Khalil if there's anything in the car and he tells her no. But then later in the book she starts to question whether he was telling the truth when news stories start putting out there that "there may have been a gun in the car"

When Starr and her parents go to see Ms. Ofrah (because the D.A. wants to speak with Starr and they want to get Ms. Ofrah's advice/help before doing so), Starr voices her concern about what if she can't answer all the questions. She explains that she's heard on the news now about there possibly being a gun in the car and how she honestly doesn't know if there was or not. Ms. Ofrah pulls out a folder and provides a photograph - it's of the hairbrush

"That's the so-called gun," Ms. Ofrah explains. "Officer Cruise claims he saw it in the car door, and he assumed Khalil was reaching for it. The handle was thick enough, black enough, for him to assume it was a gun."

"And Khalil was black enough," Daddy adds.

A hairbrush.

Khalil died over a ****ing hairbrush.

The Hate U Give :: Chapter 12 :: Page 217

So One-Fifteen's stated/reported reasoning for shooting Khalil remains the same between the book and the movie, he thought the hairbrush was a weapon.

The difference between book & movie was Khalil having it in hand or not at the time. So ultimately what my post boils down to (sorry it ended up kind of long-ish) is that....I think this is just one of those things that, when needing to condense a 444 page book into a 2-hour (ish) movie and to assist with the visuals - this was one thing they felt they could condense down. Instead of bringing the hairbrush up later and only as a photograph (and hoping that the audience remembered seeing it earlier in the car scene), they moved it to him actually using the hairbrush in the scene. And it kind of gives much more of a visual anchor to the chant "A hairbrush is not a gun"

That's my take on it, sorry if none of that made sense... it's been one of those mornings so far.