Anthony, Black Boys & More Original Films Headed to Peacock

Break out the popcorn!

Peacock is already home to a number of original television series, but the NBCUniversal streaming service is about to get its fair share of original movies, too. 

Joining Peacock’s original film slate—which currently consists of flicks like Psych 2: Lassie Come Home and In Deep with Ryan Lochte—are Anthony, The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show and Black Boys. The latter two are launching on Thursday, Sept. 10, while Anthony will be premiere on Friday, Sept. 4.

Written by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and produced by Colin McKeown and Donna Molloy, Anthony tells the story of 18-year-old Black student Anthony Walker, who in 2005, was murdered in an unprovoked, racially motivated attack in Liverpool that shocked the nation. The powerful feature film starring Toheeb Jimon (The Feed) in the lead role examines the impact of Walker’s murder by exploring what may have happened had he lived.

“Both Donna and I were privileged to have produced Anthony. It follows a rich vein of factual drama we have been delivering for almost a decade now,” said McKeown. “It means a lot to me personally as I am from the same village as the Walker family, and it is typical of Gee Walker, Anthony’s mother, to draw positive conclusions from tragic events.”

The Sit-In is a documentary film that chronicles the seminal event and almost-forgotten moment in American history during which legendary entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte hosted the iconic Tonight Show in place of Johnny Carson for an entire week.

Belafonte himself appears in the film, along with Questlove and Whoopi Goldberg who recount the historic moment.

“When I started this film, I thought that I was telling the story of Harry Belafonte’s historic achievement as the first African American to host a full week of late night television,” said Sit-In director Yoruba Richen. “I soon discovered the film was not only about this week during a politically volatile time in U.S history but also a journey through Harry’s incredible career, political activism and enduring influence. I discovered how relevant it is to today when we are in a time of political crisis, much like 1968, the year Harry hosted the show.”

Then there’s Black Boys, a documentary film that celebrates the full humanity of Black men and boys in America.

“Our intention with this film and future films like it is to give visuals to the reality that the humanity of Black people lives on a wide spectrum,” said executive producer Malcolm Jenkins. “This project is focused on the humanity of Black boys. No segment group is monolithic. What we are displaying in this film is how Black boys’ bodies have been commodified, our minds completely disregarded, and our feelings, creativity, and love painted over by society. Operating in a society that fears them, Black men and Black boys face a unique kind of trauma.  We need white people, and everyone for that matter, to see that the identity of the Black boy is under attack as early as preschool to adulthood. We all have a responsibility to help map the future of our children, and how our children preserve the world around them. Next up is Black Girls!”

To add to the excitement, the critically acclaimed documentary film A Most Beautiful Thing and feature film The Public will also exclusively be on Peacock beginning in September. 

Learn more about all of the movies on the streaming service by scrolling through the complete list in the below gallery!

(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

From writer, executive producer and director Emilio Estevez, The Public will stream exclusively on Peacock. In The Public, an act of civil disobedience turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from the bitter cold.

The Public stars Alec Baldwin, Emilio Estevez, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling, Christian Slater, Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Gabrielle Union, Jacob Vargas, Michael K. Williams, and Jeffrey Wright. It’s produced by Hammerstone Studios, Living the Dream Films and E2 Films. Emilio Estevez serves as writer, executive producer and director. Lisa Niedenthal, Alex Lebovici and Steve Ponce produce.

A Most Beautiful Thing, a documentary film that chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in the nation made up of young men from the West Side of Chicago, will launch exclusively on Peacock.

Based on Arshay Cooper‘s memoir of the same name, the powerful documentary is narrated by Academy and Grammy Award winner Common. NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade executive produce along with Grammy Award winner and producer 9th Wonder. The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker and Olympic rower Mary Mazzio.

Executive produced by activist and two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins and written and directed by Sonia Lowman, Black Boys is a documentary film that celebrates the full humanity of Black men and boys in America. Utilizing conversations and stories around education, criminal justice and sports, the film reveals the emotional landscape of those experiencing racism and invites us to reimagine an America in which Black boys experience true belonging and unlimited possibilities.

Black Boys features interviews with activist and rapper Vic Mensa, NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, two-time Super Bowl champion Greg Scruggs, NFL Hall of Fame inductee Cris Carter, Super Bowl champion Chris Long, award-winning sports journalist Jemele Hill, poet/activist Malcolm London, and former U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. John King Jr. 

The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show follows the history-making week in February 1968 when an African American got the opportunity to host the whole week of the popular show for the first time ever. Amidst a backdrop of riots across the country and the Vietnam War, civil rights activist Harry Belafonte introduced a fractured, changing country to itself for five nights with guests that included entertainment icons Aretha Franklin and Sidney Poitier as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

Belafonte appears in the film, along with Questlove and Whoopi Goldberg who recount the historic moment.

The Sit In is a production of Big Beach and is directed by Yoruba Richen and executive produced by Joy Reid. Valerie Thomas and Joan Walsh serve as producers. Leah Holzer and Peter Saraf also executive produce.

In 2005, 18-year-old Black student Anthony Walker was murdered in an unprovoked, racially motivated attack in Liverpool that shocked the nation. Anthony is a powerful feature film that examines the impact of Walker’s murder by exploring what may have happened had he lived.

This distinctive drama presents a unique perspective on this devastating crime and the life it took away. Written by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, Anthony’s imagined life is told through reverse chronology as we see him realize his dreams and enjoy the life he had a right to live, before fate—and hate—took it all away.

Anthony stars Toheeb Jimon (The Feed) as Anthony Walker, Rakie Ayola (Been So Long) as his mother Gee Walker, Julia Brown (World on Fire) as his wife Katherine and Bobby Schofield (Knightfall) as his friend Mick.

All 8 Harry Potter movies are coming to Peacock in 2020! That means you’ll be able to binge Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010) and Part 2 (2011).

Charlize Theron plays Marlo, a mother of three including a newborn, who is gifted a night nanny named Tully, with whom she forms a surprising bond and friendship.

This 1931 monster movie classic was based off of the 1818 novel that followed Henry Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster out of the body parts of corpses he has dug up.

Brendan Fraser stars in this 1999 action-suspense film as a treasure hunter who gets more than he was bargaining for when he and his team accidentally set loose an ancient curse in the form of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian undead priest.

When Neo (Keanu Reeves) feels like something is off in the world, his suspicions prove to be correct once he enters the Matrix and learns that his reality isn’t real at all. The 1999 hit spawned multiple sequels, including Matrix 4 which is anticipated to release in 2022.

Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne in this action-thriller series that follows his main character, a CIA assassin who suffers from dissociative amnesia and must figure out who to trust, and who he is.

Revisit the OG “found footage” film that terrified everyone in 1999, when the docu-style film brought us along on a camping trip that quickly become eerie.

Mike Meyers voices Shrek in this adorable animated comedy film that follows an ogre and his unwanted sidekick Donkey (Eddie Murphy) as they trek to save Princes Fiona in exchange for Shrek getting to keep his swamp.

Talk about being a third wheel! In this light-hearted comedy, Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson star as a couple excited to start their lives together…that is until Randy (Owen Wilson) comes to crash with them and starts to drive a wedge between the couple.

Will Ferrell stars in this comedy film as Phil Weston, an overly competitive dad who is determined to make his son’s soccer team champions, regardless of their complete lack of athletic ability.

One of Spike Lee‘s earliest films, Do the Right Thing, is the perfect comedy-drama film exploring race when an Italian pizzeria’s wall mural becomes a touchpoint as to whether or not it should feature Black actors on it when the eatery is in a Black neighborhood.

Christian Bale stars in this satirical thriller that follows Patrick Bateman, a sociopath who is a high-powered businessman by day and serial killer by night.

Steven Spielberg directed this classic film that explores a world where scientists have managed to bring dinosaurs to life…which is unfortunate for the crew of visitors who find themselves at their mercy when they break out of their cages.

While Peacock will have plenty of great movies, such as those above, on launch day, the service will continue to add great titles over time including the Godfather triology Fast & Furious, Fast 5, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, The Big Lebowski,  Scent of a Woman, Meatballs, The Hurt Locker, Open Water, Trolls: World Tour, and Croods 2.  

Which film are you most excited to watch on Peacock? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!