Teyana Taylor had a breakout year as an actress last year, starring in “The Book of Clarence,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and most notably her Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated performance in the brilliant “A Thousand and One.” But the R&B star is now making the leap to feature film director.
Taylor is set to make her feature directorial debut on a film called “Get Lite” that is now in development at Paramount Pictures, an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire. She’s cast Storm Reid (“The Last of Us,” “A Wrinkle in Time”) in the lead role.
Reid is also producing the film through her production banner A Seed & Wings Productions, and she’ll be producing alongside “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris via his Khalabo Ink Society. Taylor is executive producing.
“Get Lite” is the story of a studious New York City teenager who has his world upended when he falls for a charismatic beatmaker (Reid) who recruits him to join her Litefeet dance crew, forcing him to choose between a safe academic path and his rekindled love of dance. Eric Gross wrote the screenplay.
Taylor has a long history of directing her own music videos via her all-female music production company The Aunties, which she launched in 2017. With “Get Lite,” she’s further tapping into her roots, embracing a story that recalls her time also working as a choreographer and dancer dating back to the start of her music career in 2010.
Along with Barris and Reid, the film will be produced by Bill Karesh (OFFBRND), Robyn Simpson (A Seed & Wings Productions), and Anni Weisband. Taylor will executive produce with Coco Gilbert serving as co-producer.
Taylor won the Breakthrough Performance Award from the National Board of Review for her work in “A Thousand and One,” which also won the jury prize at Sundance in 2023. Some of her other film credits include “Coming 2 America,” “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” and “Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming.”
Reid most recently had a small but memorable stint in HBO’s “The Last of Us” and has a recurring role on “Euphoria,” and she has recently been seen in “The Suicide Squad,” “Missing,” and “The Nun II.”
Taylor is repped by WME, Taylormade Management Group and The Lede Company. Reid is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360, The Lede Company and Granderson Des Rochers. Barris and Khalabo are repped by WME, Artists First and attorney Gregg Gellman at Yorn Levine.
News of the project was first reported by Deadline.
