Leslie Odom Jr. Dives Into Dark Waters: Sammy Davis Jr. Meets the Church of Satan—Is Hollywood Ready for This Twist?
Added on December 3, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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Who would’ve thought Sammy Davis Jr., the legendary crooner with a dazzling smile, had a foot—or should I say a soul—in the Church of Satan? As Mercury spins retrograde today, making truths twist and secrets spill, it feels fitting to unearth this wild chapter of Hollywood lore. Leslie Odom Jr. is taking on the ambitious task of adapting a Rolling Stone piece that dives deep into Davis’s unexpected dance with Anton LaVey’s infamous sect. And here’s the kicker—Odom Jr. isn’t just behind the camera but stepping right into the spotlight to embody Sammy himself. This story is a tangled web of identity, counterculture, and risqué rites that sounds straight out of a cosmic joke . . . or maybe just the 1970s. Buckle up, because this tale promises to challenge everything you thought you knew about the Rat Pack’s most enigmatic member. LEARN MORE
Deadline reports that Leslie Odom Jr. is set to adapt a Rolling Stone article about Sammy Davis Jr. and the crooner’s unlikely connection to Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan. That’s a piece of history I was not aware of. In addition to adapting the story, Odom Jr. will also star in the movie.
The project will adapt Dance With the Devil by Alex Bhattacharji, which was published by Rolling Stone in August 2024. Bhattacharji described the article as “a sensitive story about a profoundly alienated Davis and his search for acceptance. It’s a rollicking ride that touches on complex, timely issues: racial and sexual identity, politics, religion, pop culture, and the counter-culture.“
In 1972, Davis Jr. was filming a pilot for Poor Devil, a potential new comedy series for NBC. He played Sammy, a low-level demon who had spent centuries shovelling coal and was desperate to branch out. The Devil (played by Christopher Lee) gives him a chance to prove his worth if he convinces a mortal (Jack Klugman) to sign away his soul. The series didn’t move forward, but the pilot did screen on NBC the following year as a TV movie, which is how it caught the interest of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan.
Members of the Church of Satan watched the program and thought it was good publicity. It was suggested that Davis Jr. be invited to become an honorary warlock, and less than a month later, Davis Jr. wrote back.
I would be most happy to accept your honorary membership, and I am pleased to learn that no one was offended by our recent film “Poor Devil.” As I’ll be performing in Vegas at the Sands Hotel from now until April 8th, perhaps you can arrange to present your award to me when I’m at the San Carlos Circle Star Theater during April 10-16. Once again, my thanks.
Peace and love, Sammy Davis Jr.
The entertainer’s first encounter with the Church of Satan may have occurred several years earlier. In his 1989 autobiography, he told a story of how he “accepted an impromptu invitation to a heavily ritualized Church of Satan ceremony in the Hollywood Hills that, to his delight, ended in a drug-fueled orgy.“
Odom Jr. is no stranger to the forces of Satan, as he previously starred in The Exorcist: Believer. The film, which was directed and co-written by David Gordon Green, was intended to be the first of a new trilogy (The Exorcist: Deceiver had even been given a 2025 release date), but the lacklustre box office and scathing reviews forced the studio to rethink its plans. Mike Flanagan was then brought in to develop a “radical new take” on the franchise, and it was recently announced that Scarlett Johansson would star in the movie.
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