Boots Riley turned some heads at Sundance with his 2018 debut “Sorry to Bother You,” a madcap vision about corporatist America. It was a wonderfully original statement, despite some minor flaws, and it introduced Riley as a filmmaker to watch out for.
Last year, Riley helmed the critically acclaimed Amazon series “I Am Virgo” — another surreal exercise in style. Earlier this year, Riley told the NYT’s Kyle Buchanan that he was going to shoot his next film, produced by Neon. I have more details about this one.
Riley’s sophomore effort is called “I Love Boosters” and will star Keke Palmer as Corvette. The plot revolves around a ring of female shoplifters, lead by Corvette, called the Velvet Gang. They survive on “boosting” clothing items from department stores. However, their next target, the CEO of a designer brand, has just ripped off Corvette’s idea, and she absolute needs to pay, sparking an unintended “revolution.”
Production on “I Love Boosters” is set to begin on August 15.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.