By: Christina Santi 

Showtime has acquired the worldwide rights to The One and Only Dick Gregory, a documentary about the life of the late comedian/activist, according to Deadline. 

“There is no more important time than now to revisit the life of Dick Gregory,” said Vinnie Malhotra, EVP Nonfiction Programming at Showtime Networks. “His fearless voice rose to the challenges of his time, calling upon Americans to question their beliefs, in an era where you risked your livelihood – maybe even your life – to speak out. Though a comedic genius of his generation, comedy turned out just to be the beginning of one of the most unique and impactful journeys of any person we’ve seen.” 

The documentary will be the directorial debut of producer Andre Gaines. Iconic comedians Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Kevin Hart are executive producers on the project, which will feature interviews with them and others including W. Kamau Bell and Wanda Sykes.  

“Dick Gregory is as present to me now as he was when I first started filming him six years ago – a trivial length of time when compared to the nearly six decades that this one man so greatly influenced American history, comedy, activism, and nutrition,” said Gaines in a statement. “He emptied himself completely for the movement, and while the enormity of his sacrifices are rarely acknowledged, he gave every artist a master class for what it truly means to both entertain and educate. Knowing Dick Gregory was a transformative experience that not only influenced the making of this film, but me as a man. Vinnie and the team at SHOWTIME have been incredible partners to help bring this timely story to the world, and I cannot wait for Dick Gregory to finally get his due.” 

Gregory became a prominent name in comedy in the early 1960s. He was the first Black comic to get high praise and recognition from white audiences despite his political and social activism, according to NPR. Darryl Littleton, author of the book Black Comedians on Black Comedy, credits Gregory with paving the way for Bill Cosby.  

Gregory died in August 2017 at the age of 84.  

The One and Only Dick Gregory will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 19, a part of the festival’s first Juneteenth programming slate. It will air on SHOWTIME on July 4 at 9 p.m. EST.