Effie Brown, Gabrielle Union

Source: Courtesy of Gamechanger / Nino Munoz

Effie Brown, Gabrielle Union

Effie T. Brown’s Gamechanger Films is partnering with Gabrielle Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions and Taraji P. Henson’s TPH Entertainment to produce a feature adaptation of graphic novel Sorcerority.

Gamechanger secured rights to the fantasy graphic novel by Mikhail Sebastian and George Watson earlier this year. The three companies will develop the project and Brown will produce with Union and Kian Gass, who will oversee for I’ll Have Another Productions, and Henson and Christine Conley for TPH Entertainment.

Sorcerority tells of Melanie, a young African-American girl who follows in the footsteps of her late mother and enrolls in an African-American coven and university of magic. She soon discovers her enrolment may not be entirely of her own choosing and is the calculated actions of a higher authority. In between her studies, Melanie uncovers her familial connection to the school’s mysterious past and her pivotal role in its future.

“Taraji and I have been looking for a project to work on together for a few years now and I’m excited to be partnering with her, TPH Productions and Gamechanger Films on this project,” said Union. “I’m looking forward to bringing this graphic novel to the big screen.”

“I created TPH Entertainment as a way to help push forward stories that better represent what our society looks like and to help share voices that may not have been given the opportunity to be heard,” added Henson. “Joining incredible, like-minded women like Effie and Gabrielle on this exciting adaptation is a thrill for me and I cannot wait to begin this journey with them.”

Gamechanger Films projects include Elegance Bratton’s film The Inspection starring Jeremy Pope and Union, on which Brown is a producer and co-financier for Gamechanger. A24 will co-finance and handle worldwide distribution. The company recently consulted on Amazon Studios’ inclusion policy and playbook initiative for its content and productions.

“I could not have imagined a better equipped or more inspiring dream team of female producing partners than Gabrielle and Taraji on a project about such powerful black women,” said Brown. “Sorcerority’s depiction of black girl magic and sisterhood offers such a fresh and unexpected perspective, and we can’t wait to bring Mikhail and George’s beautiful graphic novel to life.”