Jay Z and Weinstein Co. to produce Trayvon Martin projects

By Christopher D. Shea, New York Times Service

Saturday, March 25, 2017 | 2 a.m.

The rap star Jay Z and The Weinstein Co. will team up to produce a series of television and film projects about the life of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager who was shot dead in 2012 near his home by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman.

The killing — and Zimmerman’s acquittal of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in 2013 — set off large-scale protests in support of Martin around the United States, and helped fuel a national debate about racial profiling.

A spokeswoman for The Weinstein Co. on Friday confirmed the news of the projects, which Variety originally reported.

The projects are based on two books to which producers have acquired rights: “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It,” a firsthand account by Lisa Bloom about covering the Zimmerman trial as an NBC analyst; and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” a biographical book about Martin written by his parents.

The projects include a six-part documentary series as well as a film, which are both inspired by elements from the books.

It’s not the first time that Martin’s story has been adapted: Director Nonny de la Peña used court records and 911 calls to create “One Dark Night,” a virtual reality film about the shooting.