John Singleton gets a huge posthumous honor thanks to Sony.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony has renamed their Backstage Theater, located on their lot in Culver City, California, after the late Boyz n the Hood director. The newly renamed John Singleton Theater, seats 102 people and is used to screen films for directors who are reviewing their work during post-production. The theater is also used to screen films to VIP, employee and private audiences.
Tim Rothman, chairman of the studio’s Motion Picture Group, said in a statement why the studio decided to honor Singleton in this way.
“As the first African American filmmaker to earn an Academy Award nomination for best director, John broke a major barrier in our industry and inspired a generation,” he said. “His vision and skill enriched the world with great film and television content and he leaves a tremendous legacy, especially here at Columbia Pictures. We are honored to memorialize him in this way and look forward to dedicating the new theater with his friends and family later this summer.”
Two of Singleton’s children, Massai and Justice, also said in a statement, “We are are so pleased that Sony Pictures will be honoring our father in this way.”
“It is such a fitting tribute,” they continued, “given the special place that Columbia Pictures was for him at the beginning of his career. The studio system was incredibly supportive of him in his work, which is something he deeply appreciated. This is especially touching for us. As children, we were often brought to the lot while our father worked. Those days were fun and educational, and laid the groundwork for our own careers today.”
Singleton died April 29 after suffering a stroke that resulted in a coma and placement on life support. Before his death, the 51-year-old filmmaker was executive producing his FX drama Snowfall.
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Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images
