Elijah Kelley has secured the lead role in Hulu’s upcoming series about the life and career of Sammy Davis Jr. Produced by Lee Daniels and 20th Television, the series will take direction from Wil Haygood book, In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr.
“Sammy Davis, Jr. 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),” the show’s longline reads, according to Deadline.
“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.”
At this time, there is no word as to who will play other key roles like Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy and May Britt. It is also unclear as to when production will begin or the series will air. Stay tuned for more developments to emerge from Hulu in the near future.