Six years ago, Octavia Spencer teamed with Blumhouse Productions for the psychological horror thriller Ma, where she played the homicidal title character, Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington. Last week, it was announced that Spencer is coming back for a Ma sequel – and now, Deadline has learned that Ashley Nicole Black has been hired to write the screenplay for the sequel.
If you’re not familiar with Black, Deadline has the information: “A writer, actress, and comedian, Black received an NAACP Award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2022 for Ted Lasso, and was again nominated this year for her work on Shrinking, where she’s also an executive producer and recurs as Nikki. Other recent credits include serving as supervising producer and actor on Apple’s Bad Monkey and writing and performing on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch show. A former writer and on-air correspondent for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Black began her comedy career at Chicago’s legendary Second City.” Black won Emmy awards for her work on Ted Lasso and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and has been nominated for her contributions to A Black Lady Sketch Show and The Amber Ruffin Show.
Described as a “darkly funny revenge story,” Ma was directed by Tate Taylor (who previously directed Spencer to an Oscar win for The Help) from a screenplay written by Scotty Landes and Taylor. Spencer’s character Sue Ann was a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own. She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth. Spencer was joined in the cast of the first movie by Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Missi Pyle, McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, and Dante Brown.
Jason Blum, Founder/CEO, Blumhouse, had this to say about the Ma sequel: “Ma has proven to be a social phenomenon since its release in 2019, with fans eagerly embracing the film and Octavia’s iconic performance as Ma. Ma likes to say ‘don’t make me drink alone,’ so we’re thrilled Octavia will join us again for a second round.“ Taylor produced the first film alongside John Norris and Blum. Spencer, Couper Samuelson, Jeanette Volturno, and Robin Fisichella served as executive producers.
What do you think of Ashley Nicole Black being hired to write the Ma sequel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
