Nate Parker to Direct 'Black & Blue' as First Gig After 'Birth of a Nation'

The drama, about LAPD hero Ralph Waddy, marks Parker's return to helming features after a resurfaced rape trial derailed his directorial debut.

Nate Parker, the filmmaker whose Sundance sensation The Birth of a Nation was derailed by resurfaced news of a college rape trial, has another feature to direct.

Parker will helm Black & Blue, a drama about Los Angeles Police Department hero Ralph Waddy, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The pic is his first feature since Birth of a Nation, which was a critical hit during its debut at Sundance, only to garner negative attention due to Parker's involvement in a 1999 rape case and the suicide of the woman who alleged Parker and Birth of a Nation co-writer Jean Celestin assaulted her.

Parker stepped back from the spotlight after the November 2016 release by Fox Searchlight of his directorial debut. Parker will helm Black & Blue after rewriting a script by Jim McGrath. That follows Form B Entertainment optioning Waddy’s life rights.

Waddy worked on a number of high-profile crime cases during a racially charged period in Los Angeles, including the Watts riots.

Steven Jensen, Darren Enenstein, Shondrella Avery, Adam R. Sanders and Lenny Rosenberg will share producer credits on Black & Blue.

Parker is repped by CAA and Anonymous Content.