By Mike Householder
DETROIT (AP) --"Detroit" star John Boyega says his new movie may be set a half-century ago, but it explores issues that remain relevant.
"We're dealing with systematic racism. We're dealing with social unrest. We're dealing with an uprising. And these are stories that reflect until today — especially police brutality," Boyega told The Associated Press during an interview Monday.
The London-born actor was in Detroit promoting the film of the same name. Directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, "Detroit" is a drama about the 1967 riot. The movie, which opens Aug. 4, also stars Anthony Mackie and John Krasinski.
"I was at a point where I had done a few projects, and I wanted to challenge myself," Boyega said "And when 'Detroit' came on my radar, it felt like a godsend to obviously have this kind of project, this kind of script.
"But at the same time, Kathryn as a director, she's unique in her process, and it just so happens to suit me."
One of the "few projects" Boyega has done happens to be one of the biggest film franchises of all time. He starred as Finn in 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and reprises the role in the sci-fi saga's eighth installment, "The Last Jedi," which is due out at the end of the year.
Asked whether audiences should be excited about the new "Star Wars' film, Boyega laughed and said: "Should people be excited? Of course they're going to be excited. You know, it's 'Star Wars.' Yeah, they should be."
Following the interview, Boyega and a few others actors from "Detroit" set about packaging food at Gleaners Community Food Bank, popping canned goods into plastic bags, all of which later will be distributed to families throughout the Detroit area.
Boyega said he's "here to help out.
"You know, package some food, be a positive impact to the community. I think 'Detroit,' it's not just a commercial movie. I think the intention from the beginning was to be a part of the community and for this movie to have a positive impact."
"Detroit" will have its premiere in the city on Tuesday at the Fox Theatre.
Sean “Diddy” Combs seeks bail, citing changed circumstances and new evidence
Sean "Diddy" Combs filed a new request for bail on Friday, saying changed circumstances, along with new evidence, mean the hip-hop mogul should be allowed to prepare for a May trial from outside jail.
Lawyers for Combs filed the request in Manhattan federal court, where his previous requests for bail have been rejected by two judges since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
He has been awaiting a May 5 trial at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn.
In their new court filing, lawyers for Combs say they are proposing a "far more robust" bail package that would subject the entertainer to strict around-the-clock security monitoring and near-total restrictions on his ability to contact anyone but his lawyers. But the amount of money they attach to the package remains $50 million, as they proposed before.
They also cite new evidence that they say "makes clear that the government's case is thin." That evidence, the lawyers said, refutes the government's claim that a March 2016 video showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend occurred during a coerced "freak off," a sexually driven event described in the indictment against Combs.
They wrote that the encounter was instead "a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship" between Combs and his then-girlfriend.
The lawyers argued that the jail conditions Combs is experiencing at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn violate his constitutional... Read More