Chicago has often received a bad rep for its high crime rate and gang violence. Through mainstream media, reports would have many scared to step foot into the depths of the city. But it’s important to connect and communicate with people living in underprivileged spaces and spend time with the intent to offer some form of solution.
We can’t hide the truth of what’s tearing up Chicago’s south and west side, but we also can’t overlook the talent birthed within these environments. And no, bringing a camera crew to only highlight the impoverished for a special on [insert mainstream outlet here] does not present a road to changing conditions. In fact, it leans more toward the act of exploitation.
Hopefully that changes with a new project underway, entitled 3-1-2. Will Packer along with Universal Pictures acquired the script from Chicago writer Ike Smith, who currently serves as an unofficial gang intervention liaison on the city’s South and West Sides. Smith is also a recent Academy Nicholl Fellowship recipient.
3-1-2 follows the diverse journeys of hopeful millennials as they seek their true potential amid the violent nature of Chicago streets.
Packer will produce the screenplay alongside James F. Lopez, his head of motion pictures.
The project will take on a different tone for Packer, who made his emergence in Hollywood with films such as Ride Along and Ride Along 2, Stomp The Yard, Think Like A Man and Think Like A Man Too.
