Trayvon Martin's memory will live on, thanks to multiple upcoming projects from Jay Z and the Weinstein Co.
The rapper and the film studio will produce a docu-series, as well as a film, about Martin's death, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Weinstein Co. has now acquired the rights to two books about Martin's death, titled Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It and Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin.
The company will use the material from the books in making the docu-series and the movie. Suspicious Nation was released in February 2014; Rest in Power, written by Martin's parents, was released in January.
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Martin was killed in 2012 when he was just 17 years old. The Florida teen was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, who said that he shot Martin in self-defence. Martin was unarmed at the time of his death.
In 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted in Martin's death. The neighbourhood watch volunteer was found not guilty of second-degree murder as well as manslaughter, The New York Times reported at the time. The acquittal led to protests across the United States and inspired the Black Lives Matter activist movement.
Jay Z first signed a deal with The Weinstein Co. in September, THR notes. It makes sense that he'd choose to fight racial injustice by sharing Martin's story. In 2016, Beyoncé took Martin's family backstage during her tour, so it's clear she and her husband are both deeply connected to their tragedy. It's not the rapper's first project with the company, though — he's already worked with The Weinstein Co. on Time: The Kalief Browder Story, which is airing now on Spike TV, Vulture notes. It focuses on the three years Browder spent at Rikers Island.
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