Moses the Black

Moses the Black (2026)

Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword

A gangster in modern day Chicago, inspired by the repentance story of the fourth-century saint of the same name.

Date of release
2026-01-30
TMDB
4.5 / 10 (2)
Runtime
1h 44m
Genres
Crime, Drama
Director
Yelena Popovic

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Chicago

Moses the Black is a 2026 American crime drama film written and directed by Yelena Popovic and starring Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, Quavo and Chukwudi Iwuji. It follows the journey of a leader of a gang who questions his lifestyle when he starts having visions of Saint Moses the Black, who was also once a gang leader.

Production

Director and writer Yelena Popovic got the idea to write the film in 2018 when she read about the life of the titular saint and decided the story would resonate better with audiences if it were told from the perspective of the modern day.

Production began without adequate funding or the involvement of 50 Cent or Quavo. Popovic described this period saying: "It was just this hope and desire to do justice to Saint Moses, and also to the whole community, which showed so much love and respect that gave me courage to fight and to not give up."

Popovic sought to increase authenticity by casting actors from Chicago as well as those who were not traditional actors such as rap superstars and heavyweight boxers. In March 2025, it was announced that Epps, Khalifa, Quavo and Iwuji were cast in the film. In September that same year, it was announced that Hendrix and Ferguson were also cast in the film.

Epps was initially unfamiliar with Moses the Black, but after research found that his story "spoke to him as an individual." Raised in New York, he worked with a dialogue coach to be able to provide a Chicago accent.

In October 2025, it was announced that principal photography wrapped in Chicago.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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