A new Ava DuVernay movie was just announced on stage at the Studiocanal Paris showcase, which is currently taking place. DuVernay will be teaming up with her Selma star David Oyelowo for “Heist of Benin.”
Set against the backdrop of contemporary London, “Heist of Benin” is described as a “thriller that intertwines art, love and restitution.”
DuVernay’s last feature was 2022’s “Origin,” which barely made a dent commercially. More notably, DuVernay criticized distributor Neon’s supposed lack of interest in her film, calling them out multiple times.
She explained: “It had lackluster distribution and a challenging market because of the subject matter. It came right at the beginning of the tragedy in Palestine and it talks about genocide, racism, Islamophobia, a lot of tough subjects that were uncomfortable for people.”
This was is actually the same film that prompted DuVernay to email me, politely asking why I was being so critical of her filmmaking. I’m not kidding—she was cordial, but it was clear she was bothered by my critiques.
Previously, DuVernay had also blamed the failure of her film before “Origin,” the $100 million disaster A Wrinkle in Time, on racism. Before those two setbacks, she was critically acclaimed for “Middle of Nowhere” and “Selma.”
With “Heist of Benin,” DuVernay appears to be steering away from politics, instead focusing on a genre-driven action movie. Having the talented Oyelowo as her lead is a promising sign. No word yet on when it starts production.