Oscar-winning Hair Love director Matthew A. Cherry has set his first animated feature film project. Titled Tut, it is set at Sony Pictures Animation. It is an “an afro-futuristic, coming-of-age story of the boy king Tutankhamun.”

As noted in the exclusive report from Variety, the projects based on an original idea from Cherry and Monica A. Young, “taking audiences on a journey through Ancient Egypt and celebrate a culture that introduced the world to countless modern conventions and technologies.”

In a statement, Cherry said that he’s “beyond excited to explore the magical world of ancient Egypt through the eyes of its youngest ruler, King Tut. I’ve always wanted to dive deeper into the legend of the boy king and we can’t think of better partners to embark upon this journey with than Kristine Belson, Karen Toliver and the great people at Sony Pictures Animation.”

Sony Pictures Animation president Kristine Belson called Cherry “one of today’s most exceptional creative voices. We had the privilege of collaborating with him on his first animated short, which has since evolved into his first animated series – and we’re so proud to team up again on his first animated feature, Tut. Matthew has a bold and modern take on this story rarely told, filled with magic, music, and powerful themes – and we’re thrilled that we get to go on this adventure together.”

Cherry is also working on Young Love, a series adaption of Hair Love which is set at HBO Max. The series is also produced by Sony Pictures Animation, making Tut the third project between SPA and Cherry. He is also set to direct The Come Up at New Line.

Cherry’s short film, Hair Love, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short at last year’s Oscars. His first feature, The Last Fall, debuted at SXSW in 2012. He followed this up with 9 Rides, which debuted at SXSW in 2016. He’s also directed episodes of black-ish, mixed-ish, The Unicorn, the upcoming Saved by the Bell series and more.

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