David Banner has joined Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and actress Kyanna Simone in Gumball, Simone’s directorial debut, which has officially wrapped principal photography in Atlanta. Written, directed by, and starring Simone, the short film is inspired by her complicated relationship with her late father.
While the full story remains under wraps, the film follows Joy, played by Simone, a young woman who, with her mother Love, played by Ellis-Taylor, in her corner, confronts her father, Him, played by Banner, to finally say what she’s been holding onto since she was nine. The cast also includes Lathan Ava, known for Abbott Elementary and The Morning Show.
Ellis-Taylor, Simone, Senaite Murray, Banner, and Natasha Ward-Shaw serve as producers, with Simone’s mother, Anita Hogans, serving as executive producer. Yolanda Rodgers and Donté Bouyer serve as co-producers, with Jamila C. Gray as associate producer.
Gumball marks the first production under Simone’s newly launched banner, Cree’s Legacy Productions, named in honor of her late grandmother.
For Simone, launching a production company named after her late grandmother while directing her first project opposite two established industry heavyweights, Ellis-Taylor, an Academy Award nominee, and Banner, a Grammy nominee, signals a deliberate approach to stepping behind the camera: building both a personal legacy and a professional foundation in the same project rather than treating her directorial debut as separate from her own family story.
In a statement, Simone called it an honor to tell this story with both Ellis-Taylor and Banner, describing their trust in her as a first-time director as something that means more to her than she can put into words. She added that Gumball is told through the lens of childlike joy, exploring how childhood memories shape adult relationships.
With Cree’s Legacy Productions now off the ground and a personal story already wrapped, the next marker to watch will be where Gumball lands on the festival circuit and whether it becomes the launching point for Simone’s career behind the camera that this debut seems designed to be.