EXCLUSIVE: The Wire‘s Tray Chaney and his son Malachi are producing Reborn By the Storm, an indie documentary about the tornado that destroyed their Georgia family home.
The Chaneys are executive producing the film, which documents the aftermath of the EF-2 tornado in May that ripped their home apart earlier this year and critically injured the 18-year-old Malachi, throwing him hundreds of feet into nearby woods.
Chaney Vision Entertainment is producing, with Luis A. Garcia from Wise Minds Films editing. The plan is to begin screening the film in May 2026, a year after the incident.
The film will feature interviews with the Chaney family and document Malachi’s remarkable recovery. In less than three weeks, Malachi was walking again and planning a return to college despite having suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs and facial fractures. His father, who was also injured when the tornado hit, called his son a “walking miracle” following his recovery.
Here’s a trailer for the film.
Tray Chaney – known for his much-loved role as street dealer Malik ‘Poot’ Carr in HBO drama series The Wire – has spoken at length about the traumatic event, being interviewed on the likes of CNN, Fox and Good Morning America.
Kenan Thomson, Shaquille O’Neal, Night School producer Will Packer and Kevin Hart, along with several cast members from The Wire sent messages of support to the family in the aftermath of the devastating incident. Felicia Pearson, who played Snoop in the show, visited Malachi in the hospital in the immediate aftermath.
In The Wire, Chaney Snr. acted alongside the likes of Michael B. Jordan Idris Elba, Dominic West, Wood Harris, Michael K. Williams and J.D. Williams, who played his best friend and partner on the Baltimore street corners, Preston ‘Bodie’ Broadus.
Prior to the tornado hitting, Chaney had been attempting to interview every living member of The Wire cast, producing a YouTube series called Live From the Pit in which the likes of Williams, Anwan Glover and Hassan Johnson discussed the legendary series, which explored how politics, the police and crime shaped late 1990s and early 2000s Baltimore. The Wire has often been cited among the greatest TV shows of all time.
Chaney is represented by J Pervis Talent.