Taye Diggs is sinking his teeth into a one deadly role.
The actor is leading the cast of Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy, a new two-part film set to premiere on BET+ on Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.
The trailer for the film, which is based off the book Redbone: Money, Malice and Murder in Atlanta by Ron Stodghill.
Set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996, the movie serializes the true story of Lance Herndon (Diggs), a millionaire tech guru who was found brutally murdered in his home.
“Renowned in equal measure for both revolutionizing the city’s 911 system and his womanizing ways,” an official description for the plot explains, the investigation soon brings up “questions and allegations abound as to who might have wanted him dead.”
That’s certainly evident in the preview, which shows both jealous lovers and bitter rivals flexing their teeth towards Herndon.
“You gonna pay for this, I promise you,” Herndon’s wife Blair (Keesha Sharp) screams at him, after finding him in bed with another woman named Harmony (Apryl Jones), while a second lover named Sophia (Ciera Payton) threatens, “You’ll be the fool, Lance, if you do this to me.”
“In a city full of ambitious folks, that could make for some dangerous competition,” one competitor says.
Viewers then see Herndon being told, “I think it’s best that you know your place” by some opponents — and hear his business partners allege they’ll “be dammed if that Lance Herdon swoops in and take millions that’s rightfully ours.”
Those words all hold even more weight after Herndon is killed while lying in his bed.
“The guy was ambushed; had no idea what was coming,” Detective Colin De Luca (David Vaughn) says, while working with Prosecutor Ryan Sullivan (Tye White).
“Everybody’s a suspect until they’re not. It’s all about motive and opportunity,” they continue. “For his lovers, it’d be a crime of passion… revenge. For his business partners, millions slip from your fingers. Now that Lance is dead, it’s all yours again.”
“Our list of murder suspects is growing already,” the authorities add. “They’re all getting shadier by the minute.”
Herndon’s murder gained headlines after he was found on Aug. 8, 1996. Prior to his death, his success as founder of computer consulting firm Access led to president Bill Clinton appointing him to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.
In addition to Diggs, Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy also stars Nicole Lyn, Ernestine Johnson, Ty White, Anton Peeples, Yung Joc, Karlie Redd and Yandy Smith. The movie is directed by Jaira Thomas, and written by Gregory R. Anderson.
Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy premieres on BET+ on Sept. 21 (part 1) and Sept. 28 (part 2).
