UMC the first and leading streaming service for Black film and television from AMC Networks’ RLJ Entertainment – is joining the theatrical game with the acquisition of Master P’s I Got the Hook-Up 2. Partnering with RLJ Entertainment’s RLJE Films team, UMC will release the sequel to the popular 90’s classic in theaters on July 12, 2019. Executive produced by Master P and his son, Romeo Miller, the film will make its streaming debut on UMC in October 2019.
In the original 1998 film, Master P and comedian AJ Johnson (Friday, Menace II Society, House Party) star as Black and Blue, two small time scam artists who sell boom boxes and broken TV’s from their van at a local parking lot. When a shipment of cellular phones gets to them by mistake, it doesn’t take long before the FBI and local crime bosses are after them. Reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel, I Got the Hook-Up 2 picks up with Black and Blue as they run a local restaurant.
When an incident results in their restaurant being shut down, Black needs to find some cash – fast. He thinks his luck has turned when Blue’s son, Fatboy (Fatboy SSE) and his best friend Spyda (DC Young Fly), brings him a stash of stolen cell phones and Black decides to sell them on the streets. The only problem is, the boxes with the phones also contain the Colombian cartel’s stash of Molly which Spyda decided to go ahead and sell. Now, it’s up to Black to find a way back in the game, get rid of these burners, and pay back the cartel before time runs out.
“In 1998, Master P created what would eventually become a cult classic with the release of I Got the Hook-Up, said Brett Dismuke, Chief Content Officer of UMC. “Now, 21 years later, we are excited to partner with P and his team on the return of ‘Black’ and ‘Blue’ in I Got the Hook-Up 2. In recent years, the existence of the classic Black comedic film has been limited. But with the release of the sequel this summer, UMC is bringing back the Black comedic film for audiences across the country to enjoy both on the big screen and from the comfort of their homes.”
“This project is not only hilariously funny, but it expresses the vitality of gentrification, entrepreneurship, and coming together as a family during hard times,” said Master P. “With all the tragedies in the world, we could all use a good laugh. This is one of the may projects on the way from Genius Minds Films.”
Directed by Corey Grant (Dysfunctional Friends) and produced by Kristi Kilday, Percy Miller and James Lindsey in association withGenius Minds Films, the new sequel is a 2019Harlem Nights through which Master P has provided opportunities for both seasoned and upcoming actors on the big screen. The cast includes Romeo and Cymphonique Miller, “The Talk” co-host Sheryl Underwood, John Witherspoon, Michael Blackson, and Clifton Powell; as well as a plethora of today’s biggest social media sensations, artists, and reality stars including Jess Hilarious, Young Jeezy, Kash Doll, YFN Lucci, Apryl Jones, Erica Mena,Juju, Webbie, and many, many more.