The first trailer for Chadwick Boseman's final movie, titled Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, has been unveiled by Netflix. The late actor stars alongside Acadamy Award winner Viola Davis, in the screen adaptation of August Wilson's 1984 play.
The film follows the story of trailblazing blues artist Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), as she navigates issues of race, music, relationships and exploitation in the music industry during the 1920's. Boseman, who portrays Levee, an ambitious trumpeter determined to make his own mark on the Chicago music scene and Ma's love interest, has already been pipped as an Oscar-nominee contender for his performance in the film. If the latest trailer is anything to go off, we can certainly understand why.
Watch the trailer for Netflix's film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, below.
The film, produced by Denzel Washington, Todd Black and Dany Wolf and directed by Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe, is not the first August Wilson adaptation to be heralded by Davis. Fences, which was directed by Washington, scored Davis her first Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress in 2017 – with Netflix now revealing that Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is one of nine of Wilson's iconic plays the streaming platform will be adapting.
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Boseman tragically passed away in August of this year from stage 4 colon cancer, while his final movie was still in post-production. Speaking during a Netflix press event to premiere the first trailer, Davis shared, “Chadwick was an artist. That’s who he was. He loved it. He demanded it in every single way. He was incredible.”
Director George C. Wolfe shared her sentiment, adding “Chadwick put his entire being into Levee. Levee demands that herculean scale of the role. He’s a phenomenal character. [Boseman] put every ounce of energy, heart, and passion [into it].”
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom will be released on Netflix December 18.
Image: YouTube (screenshot)
