SANFORD, Fla. – Famous rap artist Jay Z and the Weinstein Co., a multimedia production and distribution company, will partner up to produce a series of film and television projects about the life of Trayvon Martin, The New York Times reported.
Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, was fatally shot near his home in 2012 by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in 2013, sparking major protests and debates about racial profiling across the U.S.
The New York Times said a spokeswoman for the Weinstein Co. on Friday confirmed the news of the projects, which Variety originally reported.
According to reports, the projects are based on two books that producers have obtained rights to: “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.” “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It” is a firsthand account written by Lisa Bloom about covering Zimmerman's trial as an NBC analyst. “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin” is a biography about Martin written by his parents.
The books inspired the projects, which will consist of a film and a six-part documentary series, according to the Times.