david e. talbert Tagged Articles at Cinematical

See the expression on Ice Cube's face in this photograph? I wore that same expression for the entire running time of First Sunday. The transition of the holiday movie season into the barren movie wasteland of January is always a jarring one. For the past three months, it seems like I've seen nothing but Oscar-caliber movies -- masterful films by outstanding filmmakers working from amazing scripts. So maybe First Sunday just pales in comparison...

But I don't think so.

No, this is not yet another sequel to that terrific Ice Cube comedy Friday, as many have suspected. Sunday tells the story of "new" characters Durell (Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan). As the movie opens, the boys are picked up by the cops for their involvement with some stolen wheelchairs. They are sentenced to 5,000 hours of community service, the owner of the wheelchairs comes to collect, and Durell finds himself broke. Things get even more desperate when Durell's ex-girlfriend (Regina Hall) tells him she intends to move to another state with his son...unless he can come up with $17,000 to pay off a debt. So Durell and LeeJohn do what anyone in their shoes would do -- they decide to rob a church. And of course, after a night amongst good Christian folk, they learn that crime is bad and God is good and blah blah blah.

Think one Tyler Perry is enough? Too bad, because now there's two. According to the Hollywood Reporter, there's a new multihyphenate on the scene who also has "chitlin circuit" roots. His name is David Talbert and his first major release, First Sunday, is out in theaters starting today (read Patrick's interview with Talbert here). But instead of waiting to see if he can reel in the dough the way Perry can, Fox Searchlight has already scooped up the filmmaker for a follow-up. Titled Baggage Claim and based on Talbert's 2005 novel, the movie will follow a flight attendant who travels the country on a 30-day mission to find a husband. Included among the men she considers are a politician, a preacher and a tycoon. And according to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will be aimed at a black audience.

Like First Sunday, Baggage Claim will be written, directed and produced by Talbert, who comes to Hollywood following (and amidst, I'm sure) a successful playwriting career -- according to the IMDb, the Los Angeles Times apparently called him "one of the most prolific theater makers in America" and Wikipedia claims his plays have grossed more than $75 million. Sounds to me like Sony, which is distributing First Sunday via its Screen Gems banner, should have held on to Talbert for longer. If Talbert really is the next Tyler Perry, he's poised to be a home run hitter as far as box office profits are concerned. We'll see on Sunday if Sunday has Sony weeping and Fox cheering, or if this is just another case of bad punditry.

As much as I know you're hoping that First Sunday is some sort of extension of Ice Cube's Friday franchise, I'm sorry to say that it's not. Nope, this is an entirely different film -- although it appears as if Cube is finally putting aside those cheesy family-friendly comedies in order to take on a project that might actually be worth seeing. When we first brought you news on First Sunday, all we knew at the time was that Ice Cube was set to star as one half of a team of thieves who decide to rob a church. Playwright David E. Talbert, who's made a name for himself writing "gospel-tinged" plays for the past 15 years, boarded the pic as its writer-director.

Now, Variety reports that a host of other thesps have joined the party; they include Tracy Morgan (I imagine he'll be Cube's partner-in-crime), Katt Williams, Malinda Williams, Regina Hall, Chi McBride and Loretta Devine. Sony's fairly successful genre label Screen Gems will be shoveling out this masterpiece, and I have to give them credit for mixing it up as of late. They scored hits with Stomp the Yard and The Messengers, and although word on Vacancy wasn't all that bad, it didn't do as well at the box office as its siblings. Next on the agenda for Screen Gems will be Resident Evil: Extinction and This Christmas. As far as Ice Cube goes, there is a chance we'll see him team back up with Chris Tucker for another Friday flick (what would they call this one, The Friday After the Third Monday of the Month?), although I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon. Well, not unless you have about $40 million to waste on a crappy Tucker performance.

For those who still aren't convinced, Ice Cube wants you to know he's officially made the transition from hard-edged, marijuana-smoking rapper-actor to sweet, family-friendly urban comedian. With Are We Done Yet? (a sequel to the popular Are We There Yet?) hitting theaters this spring, Cube has signed on to star in yet another "urban-themed comedy," First Sunday. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, First Sunday is definitely not a sequel to Friday, Next Friday or Friday After Next. What's up -- how come Saturday never gets any love?)

Playwright David E. Talbert will make his directorial debut on the film, which revolves around two men who attempt to rob a church, but wind up being "saved" by the parishioners they take hostage. Pic will begin filming this May, with plans to hit theaters over next year's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Though he's also involved with an untitled comedy pitch over at New Line, as well as a big-screen version of Welcome Back, Kotter with The Weinstein Co., First Sunday will be Cube's next film. As far as Talbert goes, he's been writing urban, "gospel-tinged" plays for the past 15 years, and should transition into this new role fairly smoothly. That's nice, but remember when Ice Cube was cool?