Civil Rights Leader and Former NAACP CEO added as Producer of movie, The North Star

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LuckPig Studios and writer/director Thomas K. Phillips are proud to announce the addition of Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. as a Producer of THE NORTH STAR. Dr. Chavis joins with cast members Jeremiah Trotter, Clifton Powell, John Diehl, and Lynn Whitfield in a compelling film that dares to tell the true story of freedom through the eyes of an escaped slave. Set in Virginia in 1848, THE NORTH STAR journeys with runaway slave Big Ben Jones, portrayed by former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Big Ben escapes a Virginia plantation for freedom in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. On his way, he receives unexpected help from Quakers, the Underground Railroad and the North Star.

THE NORTH STAR, an independent feature film, is based on true events captured from the archives of the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA. This is a historic story, which has never been told through film. The filmmaker/producers have conducted extensive research and have successfully depicted an alluring and truthful story of Big Ben Jones. THE NORTH STAR, expected to premiere in early 2014.

About Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr.: Civil rights leader, author, educator, and global business leader, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is currently the President of Education, Online Services Corporation; providing online higher education services for Historically Black Colleges/Universities. Additionally, Dr. Chavis serves as President/Co-Founder with business mogul Russell Simmons, of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network. Dr. Chavis has also served as President/CEO for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Diamond Empowerment Fund. Dr. Chavis has extensive notoriety as a leader for change; he actively expresses this in his lectures, columns, businesses and blogs.

Cast Members for THE NORTH STAR: Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Clifton Powell (Ray, Rush Hour, Friday After Next), John Diehl (Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Park III, Stargate), Lynn Whitfield (HBO's Josephine Baker Story), April Woodall (Broadway actress/vocalist), Keith David (Crash, The Thing, ATL), blues musician Guy Davis (son of Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee), Christopher Mann (The Bourne Legacy, Blue Bloods, Duplicity) and Thomas C. Bartley, Jr. The film has been scored by a father and son collaboration of jazz legend Ramsey Lewis and acclaimed producer and musician Frayne Lewis.

SOURCE North Star LLC