The upcoming Abraham Bolden biopic The Unseen Shield is gaining new momentum as veteran producer Mark Lipsky has joined the project alongside LA-based production company 20/20 Visions Entertainment Group. The action-thriller will tell the true story of Abraham Bolden — the first Black Secret Service agent assigned to the White House detail after being appointed by John F. Kennedy in 1961.
As previously reported by Blex Media, filmmaker Joshua Coates secured the life rights to Bolden’s story and wrote the screenplay for the film, which he is also set to direct. The project will examine Bolden’s largely overlooked legacy and the circumstances surrounding his efforts to expose an assassination plot against Kennedy in Chicago in October 1963—just weeks before the president was killed in Dallas.
Bolden’s career took a dramatic turn the following year. In 1964, he was dismissed from the Secret Service after being accused of accepting a bribe tied to a counterfeiting investigation. Though Bolden maintained that the charges were fabricated in retaliation for speaking out about misconduct within the agency, he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to six years in federal prison. Decades later, his case was revisited, and in 2022 he received a full pardon from President Joe Biden.
Lipsky’s involvement adds another layer of industry experience to the production. The longtime manager and producer previously worked closely with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall and served as an executive producer on projects including Coming to America, The Arsenio Hall Show, and Another 48 Hrs.. He also produced the 1995 comedy-horror film Vampire in Brooklyn starring Murphy.
Additional creative voices are also stepping in to support the project. Screenwriter Jonas McCord will serve as a script consultant, while producer and longtime JFK assassination researcher Steven Jaffe has joined as a technical consultant. Jaffe previously worked as a special assistant to New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison and has been involved in several projects exploring the events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination.
Producing alongside Lipsky and Coates are Edgar Rios, Fetteroff Colen, and Michele Manelis. The team is targeting a summer 2026 production start.
“Abraham Bolden’s story is one of extraordinary courage,” Lipsky said in a statement. “It is the story of a man who fought to protect President John F. Kennedy, and who later paid a devastating price for attempting to reveal the truth. His story needs to be told, and it will shock audiences to their core.”
The Unseen Shield is part of a broader slate of films in development from 20/20 Visions Entertainment Group. Upcoming projects from the company include Divine Direction starring Tamala Jones, Madonna Non Grata with Tamara Taylor, Cycle of Grace starring Danielle LaRoach, and Booo, one of the final projects featuring the late John Amos.
With a powerful historical foundation and an expanding production team, The Unseen Shield aims to bring Bolden’s long-overlooked story—and the price he paid for speaking out—to the screen for a new generation.