According to Deadline Hollywood, Common just signed on to produce and star in a remake of the beloved 1975 classic, Cooley High. The Chicago native will produce through his Freedom Road Productions company alongside Devon Franklin and Tony Krantz (his father, Steve Krantz, produced the original). New York Times best seller, Seth Rosenfeld, is set to write the script.
Originally starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Cooley High is a complex tale of high school seniors trying to get out of the South Side of 1960s Chicago. Even with a budget of only $750,000, the film was a hit, grossing $13 million at the box office. Despite being filled with laughs, the Eric Monte written script touches on sensitive topics that are still relevant in today’s society including sexism and gang violence.
Remakes are always scary especially when the original was done so well, but knowing Common is involved gives hope that this project will be able to stand up to the first. Read more about the upcoming project here.
