It’s amazing that after all these years Hollywood still does not believe that movies with an all black cast will fill the seats in the movie theater. George Lucas made an appearance on The Daily Show the other day and talked about the difficulties he experienced with trying to get funding for the movie “Red Tails” , the story about the heroic Tuskegee Airmen.

George Lucas told host Jon Stewart:

“This has been held up for release since it was shot, I’ve been trying to get released ever since,” Lucas told Jon Stewart. “It’s because it’s an all-black movie. There’s no major white roles in it at all…I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don’t know how to market a movie like this”.

George Lucas on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart

In an interview with USA Today he talked about the awkward position he think he’s put African American filmmakers in:

“I realize that by accident I’ve now put the black film community at risk (with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions). I’m saying, if this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you’ll stay where you are for quite a while. It’ll be harder for you guys to break out of that (lower-budget) mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let’s make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there.”

“Red Tails”  movie trailer

PLOT SUMMARY: 1944. World War II rages and the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. Meanwhile the black pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program are courageously waging two wars at once – one against enemies overseas, and the other against discrimination within the military and back home. Racial prejudices have long held ace airman Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker) and his black pilots back at base – leaving them with little to do but further hone their flying skills – while their white counterparts are shipped out to combat after a mere three months of training. Mistakenly deemed inferior and assigned only second-rate planes and missions, the pilots of Tuskegee have mastered the skies with ease but have not been granted the opportunity to truly spread their wings.

STARRING : Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Kevin Phillips, Rick Otto, Lee Tergesen, Andre Royo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Marcus T. Paulk, Leslie Odom Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Jazmine Sullivan, Edwina Finley, Daniela Ruah, Stacie Davis, Gerald McRaney

The original “Red Tails”

Let’s all go out and support “Red Tails” and show Hollywood that we need more movies that tell “our” story and that we will come out and support them.

Summary via Comingsoon.net