Ride Along director tackles tired-out horror tropes in film based on Comedy Central short film
The Blackening is a horror-comedy film directed by Tim Story for Lionsgate. It is based on 3Peat’s short film of the same name which was released in 2018. Story is best known for directing the 2002 dramedy Barbershop along with a number of other films including Fantastic Four in 2005 and the Ice Cube/Kevin Hart-led buddy cop film series, Ride Along. The Blackening Is written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Perkins is an original member of the 3Peat comedy group and also stars in its film adaptation. Oliver has previously co-written 2017’s Girls Trip and 2019’s Little, while Perkins is best known for his writing on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Amber Ruffin Show.
The film’s cast consists of Grace Byers as Allison, Jermaine Fowler as Clifton, Melvin Gregg as King, X Mayo as Shanika, Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi, Jay Pharoah as Shawn, Yvonne Orji as Morgan, Diedrich Bader as Officer White, and James Preston Rogers as Camden Conner.