{"id":2185070,"date":"2025-12-03T05:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2185070"},"modified":"2025-12-03T05:30:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:30:29","slug":"leslie-odom-jr-to-write-and-star-in-horror-movie-about-sammy-davis-jr-and-his-ties-to-church-of-satan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/leslie-odom-jr-to-write-and-star-in-horror-movie-about-sammy-davis-jr-and-his-ties-to-church-of-satan\/","title":{"rendered":"Leslie Odom Jr. to write and star in horror movie about Sammy Davis Jr. and his ties to Church of Satan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/leslie-odom-jr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Leslie Odom Jr.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Leslie Odom Jr.<\/a> is doing a dance with the devil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em>Hamilton<\/em> star is set to write and star in a horror film adapted from the August 2024 <em>Rolling Stone<\/em> article \u201cDance With the Devil\u201d by Alex Bhattacharji. The article explores American singer Sammy Davis Jr.\u2019s &#8220;unlikely connection to Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, what drew Davis into that world, and the surprising overlap between the beloved entertainer and one of America\u2019s most controversial figures,&#8221; per a release on the development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film\u2019s logline reads, \u201cHow a TV pilot called <em>Poor Devil<\/em> begat a friendship between the performer, Sammy Davis Jr., and Anton Szandor LaVey, founder and high priest of the Church of Satan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to a statement from Bhattacharji, the article upon which the project is based is \u201ca sensitive story about a profoundly alienated Davis and his search for acceptance.&#8221; He adds, &#8220;It\u2019s a rollicking ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Theo Wargo\/WireImage<\/p>\n<p> Leslie Odom Jr. performs on stage during a &#8216;Hamilton&#8217; performance at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Odom acquired the screen rights for the movie, which will be developed in partnership with Rolling Stone Films, after a bidding war and months of negotiations, according to the release. The project marks the feature film writing debut for the Oscar-nominated <em>One Night in Miami<\/em> actor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The news of Odom&#8217;s latest career move comes on the heels of his final performance in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical <em>Hamilton<\/em> on Nov. 26. In April, it was announced that Odom would be returning this fall to reprise his role of Aaron Burr, which he originated in the show&#8217;s original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. For the role, Odom famously earned a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In June, Odom also reunited with the show&#8217;s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and fellow castmates Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs, Ren\u00e9e Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Okieriete Onaodowan to celebrate the show&#8217;s 10th anniversary with a reunion performance at the 78th Annual Tony Awards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with\u00a0our\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Since first departing <em>Hamilton<\/em> in July 2016, Odom has returned to Broadway in\u00a0<em>Gutenberg the Musical\u00a0<\/em>and a revival of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/theater\/theater-reviews\/purlie-victorious-review-leslie-odom-jr-broadway\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch<\/em><\/a>, which itself earned six Tony Award nominations, including one for Odom\u2019s performance, and aired as part of PBS&#8217;\u00a0<em>Great Performances<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Other recent endeavors include appearing in episodes of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/abbott-elementary\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Abbott Elementary;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Abbott Elementary<\/em><\/a> and Apple TV+\u2019s <em>Central Park<\/em>, for which he earned an Emmy nomination. He&#8217;s also starred in the films <em>The Many Saints of Newark,\u00a0Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery<\/em>, and <em>The Exorcist: Believer<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/leslie-odom-jr-to-write-star-in-sammy-davis-jr-and-church-of-satan-film-11860948\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leslie Odom Jr. is doing a dance with the devil. The Hamilton star is set to write and star in a horror film adapted from the August 2024 Rolling Stone article \u201cDance With the Devil\u201d by Alex Bhattacharji. The article explores American singer Sammy Davis Jr.\u2019s &#8220;unlikely connection to Anton LaVey and the Church of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2185071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[421338,421337,421336,362830,360089],"class_list":["post-2185070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alex-bhattacharji","tag-anton-lavey","tag-church-of-satan","tag-leslie-odom-jr","tag-sammy-davis-jr"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Leslie-Odom-Jr-to-write-and-star-in-horror-movie.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2185070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2185072,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185070\/revisions\/2185072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2185071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2185070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2185070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2185070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}