Beyonce’s father Matthew Knowles is preparing his 2017 memoir Racism From the Eyes of a Child for both film and TV adaptations
- Knowles, 71, is a well-known music executive who led his daughter's first group, Destiny's Child, to success while simultaneously managing her solo career
- He wrote a memoir in 2017 titled Racism From the Eyes of a Child, which Variety reports is being eyed for both film and TV adaptations.
- The music manager is working with Say Unkel Entertainment on the projects, although no writers or directors are attached yet
After the success of his daughter Beyoncé's concert film Renaissance, Matthew Knowles is hoping for similar success in both film and TV.
Knowles, 71, is a well-known music executive who led his daughter's first group Destiny's Child to success while also managing her solo career.
He wrote a memoir in 2017 entitled Racism From the Eyes of a Child Variety Reports looks at both film and TV adaptations.
The music manager is working with Robert Unkel's Say Unkel Entertainment on the projects, although no writers or directors are attached yet.
The film project would cover the first half of Knowles' 208-page book, following his early years growing up in Alabama in the early 1960s.
Matthew: After the success of his daughter Beyoncé's concert film Renaissance, Matthew Knowles is hoping for similar success in both film and TV
Knowles, 71, is a well-known music executive who led his daughter's first group, Destiny's Child, to success while simultaneously managing her solo career
He was one of only six black students to attend an all-white school and participated in many peaceful protests.
He told in the book how he was once burned with a cattle prod during a protest and arrested four times in one day.
Knowles' childhood struggles have been documented by his famous daughter, including in her music video Formation and other documentary projects.
The book tells how early civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Turner and Ralph Abernathy were key figures in his life, and how his upbringing shaped him – his mother was a classmate of Coretta Scott King.
“These are the men who made me proud and the women who taught me to fight back,” Knowles said in a statement to Variety.
Unkel, who previously served as vice president of programming at 20th Century Fox, said the film's screenplay is ready for release, although a writer has not yet been identified.
Unkel will oversee the film's development Howard Kazanjian, a producer on the original Star Wars trilogy.
No details have been given about the TV series project, although it seems likely to focus on his professional career.
He was one of only six black students to attend an all-white school and participated in many peaceful protests
No details have been given about the TV series project, although it seems likely to focus on his professional career
He worked in medical sales in the late 1970s and 1980s before leaving work to focus on his music management business in 1992.
He has two degrees from Harvard and has published five books, two of which have become bestsellers
He worked in medical sales in the late 1970s and 1980s before leaving work to focus on his music management business in 1992.
In addition to managing Destiny's Child and the solo careers of Beyonce and Solange Knowles (along with former Destiny's Child members Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland), he has also worked with Chaka Khan and Earth Wind & Fire.
He has two degrees from Harvard and has published five books, two of which have become bestsellers.
Knowles is currently on the faculty at both London College of Contemporary Music and Pepperdine University.