Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC's "The View," has attributed the lack of Hollywood film adaptations of her trilogy of romantic novels to "insane gatekeeping" in the industry, which she contends is rooted in systemic racism.
Hostin, 57, made these remarks on air Friday while discussing her recent decision to partner with Fountain 0, a London-based AI company, to create film adaptations of her books. The AI company recently had an AI-generated film accepted at the Tribeca Film Festival.
"One of the reasons I partnered with this company is because I’ve written a trilogy, and for six years I’ve tried to get my films—or my stories—made into a series and films," Hostin stated. "And the gatekeeping in Hollywood around Black and Brown creative content is insane."
Hostin's novels, including "Summer on the Bluffs," "Summer on Sag Harbor," and "Summer on Highland Beach," have been described by the author as love stories with "a little bit of smut on the side." The books have achieved New York Times bestseller status.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2024, ahead of the third installment's release, Hostin recalled early meetings with executives who questioned the market for her books, specifically asking about the audience for stories centered on Black women. She noted that one executive expressed surprise when she indicated Black women were the target audience.
"Executives didn’t even think there was an audience for it," Hostin said at the time. "It was surprising and a bit disappointing." She credited Gallery Books Editor Carrie Feron for supporting the books.
Following her AI licensing deal on August 27, Hostin told Variety, "To be able to bring my novels to life in movie and TV form, and actually have my image inserted in the productions, so that audiences can relate to me through my stories beyond my role as an author, is incredibly exciting to me."
She added, "This entire generational innovation in filmmaking from Fountain 0 gives me confidence that AI can give me a way to both more fully develop, and more fully immerse myself in, [intellectual property] I have developed."
Hostin launched her own production company, Roots & Wings Productions, in May 2021, though it has not yet had an official release. Critics have questioned Hostin's claims, with some pointing to the genre of her books and her past comments, while others have scrutinized her partnership with an AI company for artistic creation. The Root published a piece highlighting the backlash Hostin received for this partnership.