Apparently this project isn’t entirely dead. 

But that’s not the only news worth reporting about it.

It was in the summer of 2010 (S&A was only about a year old at the time) when we posted news that Keenen Ivory Wayans had signed up to write and produce a comedy titled It Takes a Village, for CBS Films and Sony Pictures.

The film was to center on a white, 30-something, career-obsessed, professional woman who adopts a child from a South Pacific island. Problems arise when the tribe chief, along with seven other members of the tribe, decide to come along on the trip back to the USA, and stay with the woman in her home, until she proves that she’s worthy enough to be the child’s new mother. In addition to that conflict, something else she doesn’t realize is that her evil employer has cooked up a scheme to ruin her plans.

Of course, comedy from the clash of cultures, tradition versus modernity, and more, will ensue.

As we noted back in 2010, it’s very likely that Keenen was inspired by the many real-life adoptions by white America women, of babies from so-called “3rd world countries.”

At the time, there was no other official information on the project – no cast, director, production start date, etc.

I’d actually completely forgotten all about it, until I read THIS piece on The Hollywood Reporter today, announcing the Keenen had signed with a new management company called Inphenate.

Buried at the very end of the piece was this:

He is currently attached to direct his comedy script It Takes a Village, about an American career woman who seeks a tribal community’s blessing to adopt a child. Todd Garner is producing.

So, as I said, it looks like the project isn’t dead (although THR doesn’t say anything further about it), and, also, it appears that Keenen is not only writing and producing the film, but he’s directing as well.

I wish I remembered the project when I last interviewed him at ABFF; I would’ve asked him about it. It doesn’t look like anyone remembers it either, because I couldn’t find much on it. Although it’s still definitely listed on his IMDBPro page, with the last update stating that it’s in the script stage. 

But now that I’ve been reminded of it, I’ll be on the watch. And if an opportunity to interview Keenen comes up again, we’ll certainly be sure to ask him about it. Or maybe someone else reading this might do just that…

With his In Living Color reboot shelved for good it appears, he really doesn’t have anything on his slate – nothing that’s been reported anyway. Most recently, in January, he guest-starred on an episode of TV Land’s Happily Divorced, playing co-star Tichina Arnold’s ex-boyfriend.

Maybe signing with new management is all part of a push to reboot his career behind, and maybe in front of the camera as well.

We’ll see…