EXCLUSIVE: Leslie Odom Jr, a singer, songwriter, and actor who has won Tony and Grammy awards and has been nominated for three Emmys and two Oscars, is set to adapt an August 2024 Rolling Stone article titled “Dance With the Devil” by Alex Bhattacharji. Odom will also be starring in the horror movie based on the story.
Odom has bought the rights to the article, which looks at the surprising link between Sammy Davis Jr and Anton LaVey, the founder and leader of the Church of Satan.
The article explores how Davis got involved with that group and how his life and work crossed paths with one of America’s most controversial figures. This project is also a collaboration with Rolling Stone Films.
The project's description says: "How a TV pilot called Poor Devil led to a friendship between the performer Sammy Davis Jr and Anton Szandor LaVey, the founder and high priest of the Church of Satan."
Bhattacharji says the article is "a sensitive story about a profoundly alienated Davis and his search for acceptance."
He adds, "It's a rollicking ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture."
The news about the Rolling Stone option comes after Odom’s last performance as Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton.
He first played the role in both the Off Broadway and Broadway versions of the show, winning a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and a Grammy for his work on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
When Odom returned to the cast of Hamilton, the show saw a 76% increase in weekly box office sales.
Most recently, the musical had its biggest gross in its 10-year run on Broadway during Odom’s limited engagement, which ended on November 26.
Odom played the role of Sam Cooke in the 2020 Amazon film One Night in Miami…, directed by Regina King.
The film got him a supporting actor Oscar nomination and a Best Song nomination for the song “Speak Now.” Other film and TV credits include Rian Johnson’s 2022 Netflix movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to The Sopranos, The Exorcist: Believer, Apple TV+’s Central Park, for which he was nominated for an Emmy, and many other projects.
Odom is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
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