Elijah Kelley Is Set to Play Sammy Davis Jr. in Lee Daniels' Biopic Series for Hulu
Lee Daniels’ Sammy Davis Jr. biopic series has taken a couple of big steps forward. It’s been announced that Elijah Kelley is set to play the lead role and the series has been officially ordered by Hulu. Kelley has previously appeared in Hairspray, Red Tails, The Butler, and Star.
The untitled series is based on the book In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr., and it’s described as “an exploration of Davis’ life through the lens of his racial identity and his complex relationship with the Black community.”
The series has been given an eight-episode order at the streamer and Daniels has been developing the project since 2013, when it was originally being developed as a movie for HBO. Daniels has been co-writing the film with Thomas Westfall, and he will direct the first two episodes.
Davis rose from childhood stardom on the vaudeville stage to become one of the most famous African American entertainers of the 1950s and ’60s and the only Black member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack. At the same time, he spent most of his career surrounded by controversy and ridicule — over his affairs with white film stars, his 1960 marriage to Swedish actress May Britt, his conversion to Judaism, his closeness to the Kennedys and later Richard Nixon, and his problems with alcohol and drugs.
Sammy Davis Jr. certainly led an interesting and crazy life. There’s no doubt it will make for an entertaining series. Kelley seems like a decent actor and I’m sure he’ll deliver a solid performance as the iconic entertainer.