The Lucas Brothers: From Quitting Law School to Creating the Film - Judas and the Black Messiah

Golden Globe-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah was released early last month to display a dramatic and historic story of a plan to destroy the Black Panther revolution from the inside. Actor, Daniel Kaluuya, won the 78th Golden Globe award for best supporting actor in a motion picture. With all the success, this movie would not have come to fruition without the creative minds of the Lucas brothers.

Keith and Kenneth Lucas are twin brothers who co-wrote and co-produced the film. Before the success, the twin brothers were initially set on studying philosophy but transitioned their path to studying law school at NYU and Duke. Their father went to prison at a young age as well as other family members so they felt like the only way to contribute was to practice law and positively impact the black community.

Both brothers stated that law school was hellish to an extent that the curriculum itself was very bland and did not get into the delicacies of what is going on in the society: oppression, social injustice, to be frank. They felt that the concepts provided within law school turned blind to the fact that the law is not fair and simply isn’t built for African-Americans. Dealing with this along with mental health issues proved to be an uphill battle as they were working to obtain their degree. However, Keith and Kenneth finally realized that enough was enough and decided to quit law school 2 weeks prior to graduation. After much deliberation, both brothers decided to pursue comedy and screenwriting.

Keith and Kenneth decided to move to Brooklyn to pursue their careers in comedy and screenwriting. Through much adversity they felt free and happy to do something that they were passionate about. Slowly they were able to get more gigs and become more diverse in their work. They transitioned into screenwriting and brainstormed the idea of the Fred Hampton story back in 2014. With much work and effort they were able to co-develop the movie Judas and Messiah that was released this year. After receiving great reviews and applauses for the film, the Lucas Brothers are looking forward to putting a stamp in their career in the film industry as well as develop more remarkable bodies of work in the near future. Although they wish that they quit law school well before hand, they know and believe that the path of film is the right direction for them.

Their story is a testimony that it is okay to go for what you are passionate about. There will be struggles at times but the journey will always be rewarding at the end. Believe in yourself and create your own path!