CNA Staff, Apr 6, 2025 /
06:00 am
A fourth-century monk who became a revered saint in both the east and west will be the subject of a new film told through the lens of a modern-day gangland drama.
“Moses the Black” is scheduled to start production later this year, according to Simeon Faith, an equity film fund managed by Simeon Entertainment that focuses on financing and producing faith-based films with worldwide studio-level distribution. The announcement was made March 13 that Omar Epps, Chukwudi Iwuji, and rappers Wiz Khalifa and Quavo will star in the film.
According to legend, St. Moses — an Ethiopian who lived in Egypt in the late 300s — was enslaved as a youth by a government official who dismissed him for theft and suspected murder. Moses then joined a band of robbers and became their leader. Eventually, after committing many crimes and moral atrocities, he hid himself in a monastery near Alexandria but became so inspired by the lives of the monks that he gave up his way of life and joined a monastic community himself. He was killed, along with some brother monks, around the year 400.
The new film about his life will take place in modern-day Chicago and will depict his real-life conversion from thief and gang leader to humble monk and model of repentance. His story will be told through the eyes of a modern-day gangster confronting his own path to redemption.
Executive producers of the film include Epps, Khalifa, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and was written by Yelena Popovic, best known for her film “Man of God.” Popovic is also serving as the director of the film and producer alongside her husband, Alexandros Potter.
In an interview with CNA, Popovic shared the inspiration behind the film and why she felt it was necessary to tell the story in this modern way.
When speaking about what inspired a film about St. Moses the Black, Popovic said she felt “moved by his story of repentance” and was “fascinated” by his story.
She explained that she first began to write the script for the film right before filming her movie “Man of God,” which tells the story of St. Nectarios of Aegina. However, she was experiencing writer’s block and felt it was best to put “Moses the Black” to the side until she finished filming “Man of God.” Soon after, she realized that “Moses the Black” needed to be told in a different way.
“That’s when I had this epiphany about telling his story through the eyes of a modern-day gangster in Chicago and I felt that that was probably the best way to do justice to the story of St. Moses the Black and his incredible repentance and life that he had,” she said.
The writer also emphasized the importance of making the film relatable and spoke to many individuals who lived lives of crime and experienced powerful stories of conversion and repentance. She highlighted the story of one man she met in Pittsburgh who lived a life of crime and now puts his life on the line every day as he helps young people get out of gangs.
“I knew that when I decided to make the story through the eyes of the person in Chicago who lives in the world of crime, I knew that I had to really speak to people on the ground,” she explained. “And first of all, I asked people if they thought that the story would help their community — this was the key — and everyone was very much for it. So that gave me hope and courage to do something like that.”
“And then thanks to my brothers and sisters in Christ in the inner city of Chicago,” she continued, “I was able to write a story that’s very real and that speaks to people for real, not just a story that mimics the story of St. Moses, but it has the reality in it because it’s the only way that people will be able to relate to the character, if they can see themselves in it.”
When speaking to the actors taking part in the movie, Popovic expressed how they felt that the screenplay “spoke to people.”
“This is why I believe that 50 and Wiz, and a lot of people that would like to see the communities doing better and they would like to see this world being a better place, they realize that the only way that we can have an impact is if we speak the language of the people,” she said.
Popovic said she hopes the new film will remind people of Jesus’ great mercy.
“We have to really understand that he is the Savior, he forgives sins — there is no human being that cannot come to him and change with his help,” she said. “So I’m trying to give hope to people — this is ultimately the message of the Gospel. Jesus said I came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous ones.”
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Francesca is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency. She received her degree in Communications with an emphasis in Digital Media from the University of Colorado – Denver. She is also in charge of the social media for Catholic News Agency.
