George Lucas's Next Project to Focus on Tuskegee Airmen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:30:52 PDT

The black airmen trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field during WWII were the first to prove that black men could pilot aircrafts in the U.S. military, and now these Tuskegee Airmen - some of whom are still alive today - will be the focus of George Lucas's next film, Red Tails.

The surviving airmen say they're glad to have Lucas tell their stories - about both the war they fought against Adolf Hitler and the racial wars waging here in the U.S. Here's some backstory:

At first called the "Tuskegee Experiment," the first aviation cadet class began with 13 students at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, about 40 miles east of Montgomery, in July 1941. Black people weren't allowed to fly in the military at the time and the "experiment" was to see whether they could pilot airplanes and handle heavy machinery. Over the next four years, the airmen went on more than 15,000 combat trips throughout Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa.

And yet, despite the respect they earned, the men returned to an America in which "German prisoners of war [were] being treated better and afforded rights that were withheld from black American citizens."

For more about Red Tails,

The Tuskegee Airmen have been the subjects of several film and TV projects, most notably in a 1995 HBO movie starring Laurence Fishburne, which one ranger at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site says was "about 50 percent Hollywood, but it gave a good overview and got the word out. People all over the world saw it and it whetted their appetite to want to know more."

And Lucas is one of those hungry people. He wants the story in Red Tails to be drawn from the airmen's personal accounts and has begun collecting oral histories from some of them at his Skywalker Ranch. Personally, I can't wait to see what comes out of this.

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What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

Maggie Pehanick — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This Means War

In This Means War Reese Witherspoon plays a woman tasked with a tough challenge when she starts dating two guys (Tom Hardy and Chris Pine) at once, who just so happen to be secret agents and best friends. Her choice becomes harder as the super spies pull out all the stops to win her heart, including some hilarious hijinks meant to sabotage the other's efforts. It may be a corny premise, but it's easy to fall for both leading men and the script keeps it light and funny. Extras include commentary by Director McG, deleted scenes, and alternate endings.

25%

The Woman in Black

In the Edwardian era, a young lawyer (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to a small town to manage the affairs of a recently deceased local. While he is there, he finds the real case is a string of child suicides in the area. Though he still has many demons of his own, he attempts to investigate as more children die at their own hands. Locals alert him of the legend of the Woman in Black, and before long, he has his own run-ins with the ghost, who is none too pleased to have a man encroaching upon her space. DVD extras include commentaries and behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes.

65%

One more release when you

Red Tails

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard lead the cast in this World War II-era flick about the role of African American pilots, produced by George Lucas. Despite racial segregation, the Pentagon has no choice but to deploy the number of African American airmen enlisted for the war. Though they are initially outcasts, the squadron soon wins the respect of the entire air force with their dedication and skills in the air. Extras include "Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airman at War" mini-documentary and featurettes on the director and the cast.

36%