Leslie Odom Jr. Is Making a Horror Movie About Sammy Davis Jr.’s Church of Satan Era
Tony and Grammy winning multihyphenate Leslie Odom Jr. is stepping into some seriously creepy territory. The actor and musician is developing a feature film based on the August 2024 Rolling Stone article “Dance With the Devil” by Alex Bhattacharji, and he’s set to star in it as well.
The project digs into one of the strangest chapters in entertainment history, exploring Sammy Davis Jr.’s real life connection to Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan.
Odom secured the screen rights to the article and is partnering with Rolling Stone Films to bring its story to the screen.
The original piece examines how Davis found himself drawn toward LaVey’s controversial orbit and how the relationship evolved. The project’s official blurb lays out the unusual starting point.
“How a TV pilot called Poor Devil begat a friendship between the performer, Sammy Davis Jr., and Anton Szandor LaVey, founder and high priest of the Church of Satan.”
Writer Alex Bhattacharji explained the tone of his reporting and why Davis’ journey resonated so strongly with him, saying:
“The article is a sensitive story about a profoundly alienated Davis and his search for acceptance. It’s a rollicking ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture.”
The announcement arrives right as Odom wraps an emotional milestone in his theatre career. His limited return to Hamilton as Aaron Burr ended November 26 after boosting the musical’s box office in a huge way.
Odom previously played Sam Cooke in Regina King’s 2020 adaptation of One Night in Miami, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and another for Best Song with “Speak Now.”
He went on to appear in Rian Johnson’s Netflix smash Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Blumhouse and Universal’s The Exorcist: Believer and earned an Emmy nomination for Apple TV Plus’ animated musical series Central Park.
Now he’s taking on a project that blends Hollywood history with a supernatural edge. Sammy Davis Jr.’s late night visits with Anton LaVey are the kind of stranger than fiction anecdotes most people assume must be urban legends.
Odom is turning that story into a horror film that explores fame, identity, loneliness and temptation, all through the lens of one of the entertainment industry’s most fascinating figures.
Source: Deadline