Asante Blackk is joining Tiffany Haddish in Landscape With Invisible Hand.
Based on the book by M.T. Anderson, the film is a sci-fi comedy about a teenage artist who lives in the near future, when aliens known as the vuvv have colonized earth, according to Variety. The aliens’ technology have caused the global job market to collapse, leading our protagonist and his girlfriend to create a vlog to entertain the aliens and make some money. But as their relationship crumbles, they realize they can’t break up without putting their families in financial ruin.
Blackk will play the main teenage character, with Haddish playing Blackk’s mother. The film will be written and directed by Cory Finley and produced through MGM and Plan B.
Blackk is best known for his roles in NBC’s This Is Us and Netflix’s When They See Us. The latter project earned Blackk several nominations from the Emmys, Critics Choice Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards. Blackk also stars as the main character Ruben in Here Comes the Break, a podcast produced through Double Elvis Productions, iHeart Media and Def Jam Recordings. In the podcast, Ruben, a hip-hop fan growing up in New York, launches a podcast anonymously and quickly goes viral. Ruben’s podcast becomes popular enough to feature interviews with upcoming hip hop artists–blending the fictional with reality as the podcast promotes real Def Jam artists.
Blackk spoke with Shadow and Act’s Trey Mangum about the podcast, saying that the story includes “also a lot of trials and tribulations…just the things that we go through as young people coming of age, and he really has to find himself through creativity and his art. I think it’s a beautiful thing because I can definitely relate to that.”
Haddish currently stars as the host of CBS’ Kids Say the Darndest Things and TBS’ Friday Night Vibes. Haddish talked with Mangum about her turn as a TV host, saying that she has always wanted to host a show similar to Star Search.
“I always wanted to be on Star Search, and I always wanted to be that person that was given someone an opportunity to share their talent. And I always wanted to be person getting to share their talent. So what better way to do that than have a variety show of some sort?” said Haddish. “So when they approached me about Kids Say the Darndest Things, I was like, this is great because it’ll be kids talking about themselves, talking about their talents, talking about what they know, and this is a way for society to see where we stand, where our future is going. The kids are really a great barometer of where we’re headed because they absorb everything around them and to listen to them is so good. And I get to show a little bit of my talent, they get to show me what they can do, I get to show them what I can do, it’s super fun.”
Haddish has also been cast as Olympics track legend Florence Griffith Joyner in an upcoming biopic. Haddish will also serve as producer for the biopic.
