Actor/producer/writer/director Robert Townsend was once dubbed the ‘new Eddie Murphy’, back in the day when he was pulling multiple duties on the likes of Hollywood Shuffle. In fact, he even directed Murphy’s cracking concert film, Raw.
But early promise quickly evaporated, and Townsend wound up directing the likes of The Meteor Man and the infamous B_A_P*S. But he’s made something of a comeback of late, with two films – Phantom Punch, the story of Sonny Liston, starring Ving Rhames, and a documentary called Why We Laugh: Black Comedians On Black Comedy – in the can.
And now he’s continuing that comeback, as he’s in final negotiations to direct the family comedy Lil Homiez for Overture Films.
Now, you might be able to discern from the (horrendously spelled) title that Lil Homiez aims to be a hip-hoppy blend of Little Rascals and Rugrats, and you’d be absolutely right. The film will recount the adventures of five multi-ethnic whippersnappers as they try to save their neighbourhood from being taken over by an evil property developer. So there’s a touch of The Goonies thrown in for good measure.
It’s based on a short film by Dallas Jackson, who has co-written the full-length script with Townsend, while John Davis will produce along with Jackson.