{"641646":{"#nid":"641646","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Historian\u2019s Research to Be Adapted for A+E Studios Series","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy Michael Pearson\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech historian Johnny Smith\u0026rsquo;s 2016 book detailing the secretive friendship between Muhammad\u0026nbsp;Ali and Malcolm X will be made into an 8-part miniseries by A+E Studios.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBlood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X\u003C\/em\u003E details the complicated relationship between the fighter and the Nation of Islam minister and how it helped transform the boxer into the man he would become.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is one of three books that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/smith_1\u0022\u003ESmith\u003C\/a\u003E, the Julius C. \u0026ldquo;Bud\u0026rdquo; Shaw Professor of Sports History in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of History and Sociology\u003C\/a\u003E, has written with co-author Randy Roberts, Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith views the miniseries as an opportunity to broaden the reach of his research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I see myself as a public scholar. And for me, what that means is expanding the audience of history students,\u0026rdquo; he said. He does that by writing deeply researched books with broad appeal and engaging with the public through lectures, media appearances, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My hope is always that people will say, \u0026lsquo;This is fascinating. This is entertaining. I want to learn more,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Smith said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith and Roberts will serve as consulting producers on the miniseries. Smith said he and his co-author have always seen the potential for a cinematic adaptation of their book.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You have these incredible, well-known characters in a relationship that developed out of public view until Cassius Clay begins training for a heavyweight championship in 1964. It\u0026rsquo;s a story of conflict, violence in America, violence in the boxing ring, and violence outside the ring. It\u0026rsquo;s a story about brotherhood and love and affection. It\u0026rsquo;s also a story about betrayal and loss.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith expects that the script will veer from their carefully crafted and sourced narrative, but sees opportunity there, as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A dramatic series will allow the screenwriter to explain more fully what the private conversations between Clay and Malcolm X may have been like. As historians, we can\u0026rsquo;t take those same leaps because our work is based on primary sources.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe series has not yet begun production, and no date for a premiere has been set.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScreenwriter Charles Murray and NBA star Carmelo Anthony are involved in the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith is part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/sports\u0022\u003ESports, Society, and Technology\u003C\/a\u003E program in the School of History and Sociology. The program examines U.S. history and culture through the lens of sports, including topics of race, gender, economic, and politics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe School of History and Sociology is a unit of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech historian Johnny Smith\u0026rsquo;s 2016 book detailing the secretive friendship between Muhammed Ali and Malcolm X will be made into an 8-part miniseries by A+E Studios.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech historian Johnny Smith\u2019s 2016 book detailing the secretive friendship between Muhammed Ali and Malcolm X will be made into an 8-part miniseries by A+E Studios."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2020-11-24 19:41:34","changed_gmt":"2020-12-02 14:35:30","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"602698":{"id":"602698","type":"image","title":"Johnny Smith ","body":null,"created":"1519232152","gmt_created":"2018-02-21 16:55:52","changed":"1519232152","gmt_changed":"2018-02-21 16:55:52","alt":"","file":{"fid":"229721","name":"JohnSmithWeb.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/JohnSmithWeb.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/JohnSmithWeb.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":97065,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/JohnSmithWeb.jpg?itok=Qh5ePnxI"}},"495931":{"id":"495931","type":"image","title":"Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X","body":null,"created":"1455120000","gmt_created":"2016-02-10 16:00:00","changed":"1475895253","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:13","alt":"Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X","file":{"fid":"205867","name":"bloodbrothers1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bloodbrothers1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bloodbrothers1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":35079,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bloodbrothers1.jpg?itok=wVWVZP6q"}}},"media_ids":["602698","495931"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/news-events\/features\/sports-society-technology?ref=btn-slide","title":"Not Just a Game:Georgia Tech\u2019s Sports, Society and Technology Program uses sports to learn and teach about the intertwined influ"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/news-events\/stories\/2020\/3\/georgia-tech-historian-authors-book-sports-war-pandemic\/633798","title":"Georgia Tech Historian Co-Authors Book on Sports, War, and Pandemic"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/news-events\/stories\/2017\/6\/johnny-smith-awarded-north-american-society-sport-history-nassh-book\/592338","title":"Smith Awarded North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) Book Award"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1288","name":"School of History and Sociology"},{"id":"473211","name":"_OLD: School of History and Sociology Student Blog"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichael Pearson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmichael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}