EXCLUSIVE: Canton Entertainment, the production company of Mark Canton and Dorothy Canton, is partnering with Vassal Benford and The B.B. King Music Company & Estate to develop Lucille, the first and only authorized feature film chronicling the life, music, and legacy of blues icon B.B. King and his Gibson guitar, Lucille.
Benford, a Grammy-winning hitmaker who serves as Chairman of The B.B. King Music Company & Estate, and recently architected the $600 million Kings’ Crossing bridge dedication honoring B.B. King, Elvis Presley, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will produce on behalf of King’s estate. Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon, the showrunners of Starz’s forthcoming boxing series Fightland from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit, will exec produce through their Written Blvd. banner, with Exemplar Media, Worldwide Entertainment, and Stokes Entertainment also on board to EP. Karley Ferlic, Director of Development at Canton Entertainment, will serve as co-producer.
Lucille chronicles B.B. King’s rise from extreme poverty to international superstardom — from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the world’s most iconic stages. The narrative will spotlight his genre-defining collaborations with Eric Clapton, U2, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora, Carlos Santana, and others — and his transformative role in bringing the blues to a global audience. At the heart of the film is King’s lifelong partnership with Lucille, the Gibson guitar he named after a woman tied to a near-death experience. For King, Lucille was an anchor, a muse, and the instrument through which he poured every ounce of heart and humanity into his music.
“I’ve had the privilege of working on transformative, music-driven films throughout my career — from New Jack City to Purple Rain to KISS,” producer Mark Canton told us. “But there is no greater story of triumph and aspiration than that of B.B. King. I’m humbled to help bring it to life.”
Calling King’s journey “a testament to resilience, genius, and grace,” Dorothy Canton added, “‘LUCILLE’ is more than a biopic — it’s a tribute to every kid who ever found hope in music. It is an honor to help bring this extraordinary story, and the profound bond between B.B. and Lucille, to audiences everywhere.”
Benford added, “I promised Mr. King in 2014 that we would tell his truth with the same perfection he demanded every time he held Lucille. With Dorothy, Mark, Raphael, and Damione, that promise is now becoming a major motion picture of the highest caliber.”
Known for their work on Starz’s Power Universe, including the original series, Canton Entertainment’s recent productions include Red Sonja and Lionsgate’s horror trilogy The Strangers. They most recently wrapped on Luc Besson’s Dracula: The Love Tale, starring Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz, and are currently in production on the KISS biopic Shout It Out Loud, helmed by McG.
Over the course of his career, Benford has produced over 70 platinum records and generated hundreds of millions in sales revenue across major music and film companies. Earlier this year, he produced a platinum hit with rapper NBA YoungBoy and won R&B Album of the Year at the Grammys for his work on Chris Brown’s album 11:11. The veteran producer and executive has also worked with stars including Jennifer Lopez, Michael Bublé, Jason Derulo, Justin Bieber, Toni Braxton, Diplo, David Guetta, Quevo and Mariah Carey, among others. As an executive, his track record includes an appointment as Vice President of Motown Records and a joint venture with Clive Davis at Arista Records, where he discovered and signed multi-platinum artist Deborah Cox. He has also exec produced numerous film and TV projects — most notably, the After film series, which grossed over $300 million and topped Netflix’s charts.
Jackson Jr. and Macedon are represented by RBEL, Stagecoach Entertainment, and Del Shaw Moonves. Mark Canton and Vassal Benford are represented respectively by attorneys Ralph P. Brescia and Ronald Lebow.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source deadline.com ’
