Leslie Odom Jr., a Tony- and Grammy-winning triple-time Emmy- and double-time Oscar-nominated singer, songwriter, and actor, is set to adapt the August 2024 Rolling Stone article "Dance With the Devil" by Alex Bhattacharji, and will also star in the resulting horror feature film. Odom acquired the screen rights to the article, which delves into Sammy Davis Jr.'s unexpected connection with Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan. The story explores Davis's journey into this world and the intersections between the beloved entertainer and one of America's most controversial figures. The project is a collaboration with Rolling Stone Films.
The project's blurb reads: "A TV pilot called Poor Devil birthed a friendship between the performer, Sammy Davis Jr., and Anton Szandor LaVey, founder and high priest of the Church of Satan." The article is "a poignant story about a profoundly isolated Davis's search for acceptance," says Bhattacharji. "It's a thrilling ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture."
The news of the Rolling Stone option follows Odom's final performance as Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton. He originated the role in both Hamilton's Off Broadway and Broadway productions, earning a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and a Grammy as a principal soloist on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Hamilton saw a 76% increase in weekly box office grosses upon Odom rejoining the cast. Most recently, the musical hit its largest gross in its 10 years on Broadway during Odom's limited-engagement run that wrapped November 26.
Odom played soul singer Sam Cooke in the 2020 Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami..., directed by Regina King, which notched him a supporting actor Oscar nomination and a Best Song nom for the tune "Speak Now." His other film and television credits include Rian Johnson's record-breaking 2022 Knives Out sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery for Netflix; The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase's award-winning HBO series The Sopranos; The Exorcist: Believer for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures; Apple TV+'s Central Park, for which he earned an Emmy nomination; and many more.
