You also cast Mos Def as the films narrator. How did that come about?
He was our first choice, and the story resonated with him on a visceral level so we knew it was a great fit right away. I had worked with him on The Pact, and I actually brought the idea to Mos’s Mom. She said, “This is something I know that Dante would be really, really interested in.” The only snag was that we had to extend the timeline for production to accommodate his schedule, but he had a sustained interest and passion all along. And beyond his emotional connection to the project, we felt the sound of his voice was friendly— that general audiences of all ages could relate to it. It’s not the voice of God booming. It’s a little less imposing. It’s not necessarily friendlier, but its easier to connect to. We wanted the narrator to serve as a bridge between scenes, though we didn’t necessarily want for it to step out in front of the story. His has a gravitas and a graveliness to it. He has an aurally different tenor, a different cadence than Marcus Mitchell’s. The two voices balance
