Method Man and Ne-Yo are set to join the cast of Red Tails, a World War II epic based on the infamous Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African-American crew of combat pilots. The fictional interpretation was written by John Ridley (Undercover Brother), is being executive produced by George Lucas and directed by first-time feature director Anthony Hemingway.
With the addition of Meth and Ne-Yo, the cast features an interesting collection of veteran and up-and-coming actors including Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrance Howard, Tristan Wilds (The Wire and 90210) and Nate Parker (Great Debaters and Pride).
The African-American WWII experience was most recently explored in Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna, but hopefully a project headed by George Lucas will reach a wider audience. The visuals will also no doubt be a cut above. “I’ve been wanting to do Red Tails for 20 years, and we’ve finally got the means to showcase the skill of the Tuskegee pilots,” Lucas said. “We’re working on techniques which will give us the first true look at the aerial dogfighting of the era.”
-Lukas Brekke-Miesner
