ROB Peace was a gifted man from Orange, New Jersey whose talent saw him land a spot at Yale University.
He was murdered in 2011, in a reportedly drug-related incident, but his memory will be honored in an eponymous Netflix film written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Bright future
Rob was raised by his mom, Jackie, who worked several jobs to support her son.
Rob’s father, Douglas, was jailed when he was young after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Despite Douglas’ prison sentence, Rob remained close with his father and would eventually vow to free him from jail.
Rob had a natural gift for mathematics and science, which eventually landed him a spot at Yale University.
At the prestigious college, he shared a room with Jeff Hobbes who would later write The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.
The film Rob Peace is based on this memoir.
To help get his father out of prison, Rob turned to drug dealing and began selling marijuana on his college campus.
Rob’s efforts saw his father’s case get dismissed, but the State repealed the decision and sent Douglas back to jail.
Eventually, Rob’s father’s health deteriorated and he was diagnosed with a brain tumour before passing away in jail.
A turn for the worse
Rob returned to his New Jersey high school, St Benedict, to teach biology and was soon awarded teacher of the year for his work.
Despite achieving such success, things eventually took a drastic turn for the worse.
An unsuccessful real estate venture left him struggling for money and he resorted to selling cannabis, once again, to make ends meet.
On May 18, 2011, he was killed by an unknown person in what was reported as a drug-related incident.
Rob’s funeral was attended by over 400 people according to Jeff Hobbes, who had remained close to Rob since college.
Rob was even the best man at Jeff’s wedding.
Jeff did not want Rob’s death to be interpreted as a “cliche of potential squandered”.
He said: “We were there; it was sort of a reunion aspect to it with mutual friends.
“We just knew Rob Peace was not a cliche.
“We write about what conflicts us, whatever medium.
“And nothing’s ever conflicted me more than this loss.”
Memorialised in film
Rob’s amazing life will be dramatised in an eponymous film, written and directed by academy award nominee and 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The film received good reviews during its limited theatre release and will land on Netflix on November 11, 2024.
Rob will be played by Jay Will and Chiwetel will play his father, Douglas.
Chiwetel said that the first thing he did, after signing on to the film, was ask Jackie if the movie had her blessing.
They spoke about the film at the home where she raised Rob.
Jackie gave the film her approval and even attended the movie’s premiere alongside Chiwetel.
