Halle Berry Teams With Lena Waithe To EP 'Boomerang' Series

DEADLINE: Over 26 years after she had her breakthrough big screen appearance in Boomerang, Halle Berry is now going to put some serious spin on BET’s small screen sequel of sorts, and Lena Waithe is joining her.

The Oscar winner and the Emmy winner will be executive producers on the 10-episode half-hour BET Networks and Paramount Television produced series, which is set to drop next year.

“I’m thrilled to team up with Lena on this project as she is without a doubt a leading voice of her generation and a trail blazer in her own right,” soon-to-be Bruised director Berry said in a statement Monday. “I’m truly excited to be a part of bringing this iconic and beloved film to the small screen.”

“This is less of a reboot and more of a continuation of the original story,” added Waithe. “There’s no point in trying to remake a classic,” she noted of the Reginald Hudlin directed film based on a story of commitment phobia by star Eddie Murphy. “It can’t be done. So we want to create something fresh that speaks to a new generation. We hope people will come to the show with an open mind and ready to embrace the new world we’ve created!”

Focusing on the modern-day offspring of Berry and Murphy’s characters and that of the role now Riverdale recurrer Robin Givens played in the 1992 flick, the opener for Boomerang 2.0 will be co-written by The Chi creator Waithe and Ben Cory Jones. Having produced the Netflix pic Step Sisters with Waithe, Underground and Insecure scribe Jones will be the showrunner and an EP on the new Boomerang, which was first announced earlier this year.

Chi vet Dime Davis is set to direct the pilot for BET’s Boomerang, with Rishi Rajani of Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions also on board as an EP.

“Partnering an icon such as Halle with a disruptor like Lena is a perfect blend for the creation of a project that tells a classic tale in a relevant voice,” BET Networks president Scott Mills declared on this latest scripted endeavor by the Viacom owned outlet. “This partnership demonstrates BET’s commitment to the continued elevation of the brand, collective creativity and authentic storytelling.”

Berry is repped by WME and Management 360, Waithe, who inked a first look deal with Showtime in July, is represented by the uberagency too as well as The Mission Entertainment.

Halle Berry To Make Directorial Debut In MMA Drama 'Bruised'

DEADLINE: Oscar winner Halle Berry is making her directorial debut with Bruised, a mixed martial arts action drama in which she’s also starring. Berry, currently in production on John Wick 3 starring opposite Keanu Reeves, will reteam with John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road Pictures, who is also producing Bruised along with Entertainment 360 and Linda Gottlieb.

Written by Michelle Rosenfarb, the plot follows Jackie “Justice,” a disgraced MMA fighter who has failed at the one thing she’s ever been good at – fighting. When 6-year-old Manny, the son she walked out on years ago, returns to her doorstep, Jackie has to conquer her own demons, face one of the fiercest rising stars of the MMA world, and ultimately fight to become the mother this kid deserves.

Berry will work with the team that does the fight choreography for the John Wick franchise.

Production starts next year in March, with Riverstone financing and Erica Lee serving as exec producer. The film is developed with the EIS company.

Berry made history as the first (and currently the only) black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in 2001’s Monster’s Ball. It was recently announced that she’ll star in Sony’s remake of the 1985 thriller Jagged Edge.

She’s repped by Management 360 and WME.