THE BIRTH OF A NATION

After garnering critical acclaim and early Oscar buzz at Sundance, Nate Parker was having a moment — a really good moment. But when his past rape allegations surfaced, his life took a sharp left turn and turned his once lauded cinematic triumph into a difficult movie-going experience.

The major studios flocked to Las Vegas last week to show off the most promising projects within their upcoming slates at the annual convention known as CinemaCon. We’ve put together a few of the highlights from each studio’s presentation.

Set against the antebellum South, The Birth of a Nation follows a literate slave and preacher, Nat Turner, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities, Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.

The television star joins Armie Hammer in the upcoming historical biopic.

Hammer signs on for Parker’s directorial debut.

Logline: After experiencing relgious visions, Nat Turner and a group of 70 rebel slaves killed more than 50 people in Virginia.