EXCLUSIVE: MPI Original Films and BET have added to the cast of their feature Kemba, inspired by the life of criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith, with Michelle Hurd (Star Trek: Picard), Sean Patrick Thomas (Till), Siddiq Saunderson (Wu-Tang: An American Saga) and June Carryl (Helstrom) signing on for roles.
Nesta Cooper will lead the cast of the film directed by Kelley Kali, which is currently shooting in Atlanta, as previously announced.
The upcoming film follows Kemba (Cooper) as a young college student who falls in love with a man, only to learn he is a drug kingpin who leads her down a path of abuse and manipulation, placing her in the middle of the government’s “war on drugs,” and ultimately landing her in federal prison.
While Hurd and Thomas will play Kemba’s loving parents Odessa and Gus, details as to Saunderson and Carryl’s roles haven’t been disclosed.
Read more on deadline.com