Michael B. Jordan Set to Produce WWII Drama The Liberators, Based on African-American Combat Unit

With Black Panther still setting theaters on fire, Michael B. Jordan is moving on his next film project: a World War II action drama titled The Liberators, based on the story of the 761st regiment, a combat unit made up entirely of African-Americans, according to Variety.

The military regiment faced racism and bigotry during their time in the military. The all-black tank battalion’s efforts (under General George S. Patton) during and after World War II’s Battle of the Bulge helped to secure key areas within Germany for American advancement in the war. These efforts led to the eventual desegregation of the U.S. military. The service group has been referred to as “one of the most effective tank battalions in World War II.”

The project is based on a spec script by stuntwoman/writer Madison Turner (6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain). Jordan and Alana Mayo will produce the film through their production company Outlier Society, alongside Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold of Safehouse Pictures. Safehouse’s Matt Schwartz will serve as an executive producer. Niija Kuykendall of Warner Bros. Pictures will oversee the project after finalizing a deal with both production companies after a contentious bidding war.

It is unknown at this time whether Jordan will star in the film. There is no casting or directing information currently.

Along with The Liberators, Jordan is gearing up for the release of Fahrenheit 451 on HBO in May and reteaming with Ryan Coogler for Wrong Answer. Jordan’s Outlier Society Productions have many projects in the hopper, including sci-fi family drama Raising Dion for Netflix, a The Thomas Crowne Affair reboot, an untitled project for OWN and Jordan’s directorial debut, a film adaptation of the YA novel The Stars Beneath Our Feet. As Jordan recently pledged, all of those projects will have inclusion riders.

As Jordan continues to produce more content, he seems to be carving out quite a niche for himself in the sometimes-fickle film industry.