It seems that Hollywood loves a good biopic, particular on Black people. What can we say, we’re just that entertaining and interesting. Currently there are several biopics in production including a flick on Jimi Hendrix, Richard Pryor (said to be directed by Lee Daniels) and even a film on Nat Turner called Birth of A Nation. This is on top of a list of about 50 biopics about Black people, which are said to still be in consideration.
This is great but what about made-up stories? I’m talking about films based on literature produced by Black people. As many of us know, there are so many great Black writers out there beyond the likes of Morrison, Walker, Baldwin and other favorites. And their novels and stories have yet to receive the Tinseltown treatment. And just for some perspective here, Hollywood has turned 33 books into film last year. None of them were written by an African American.
So in an effort to help the status quo help us, by producing content outside of another Dr. King or even Nelson Mandela biopic, I present a list of 10 classic books written by Black people, which would make great films. For reference purposes, I made this list partially using the African American Literature Book Club list of Favorite 100 African American Books of the 20th Century as inspiration.
