Screenwriter and filmmaker Craig Brewer gained acclaim for writing and directing the movie “Hustle & Flow” (2005), which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He went on to team up with Samuel L. Jackson for the movie “Black Snake Moan” (2006), and directed Eddie Murphy in both “Dolemite Is My Name” (2019) and “Coming 2 America” (2021). Brewer has been a consistent director on the hit series “Empire” (2015–2019) and also directed multiple episodes of the Peacock miniseries “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” (2024) starring Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, and Don Cheadle. His other filmmaking credits include his first film, “The Poor & Hungry” (2000), a movie adaptation of the musical “Footloose” (2011), and directing Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in “Song Sung Blue” (2025).