Marsai Martin on Her Dream Project to Bring to the Screen

About this episode

Marsai Martin has never waited for permission. At 14, she made history as the youngest person to ever produce a major motion picture with Little. Since then she’s kept busy, running her production company Genius Productions, empowering young Black women through her nonprofit Marsai’s Way, and opening doors for young creatives everywhere. From eight seasons of Black-ish to producing her own TV show, Saturdays, she’s already accomplished more than many of us do in a lifetime—but this is only the beginning.

In this episode, Marsai joins Jacqueline Coley to discuss the passion project she’s currently working on: adapting the fantasy book series she fell in love with as a kid, Amari and the Night Brothers, for the big screen. She reflects on why Amari’s story resonated so deeply with her, what it means to build a cinematic world grounded in Black girl magic, and how it can impact the next generation. Marsai also looks back on her experience making Little, from pitching it to Kenya Barris at nine to starring alongside her dream collaborators, Issa Rae and Regina Hall. Plus, she takes us behind the scenes of The Masked Singer, reflects on the importance of good food on a film set, and finally reveals her definitive Shrek movie ranking.