(DailyDig.com) – After a successful Broadway return of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, which ran for 27 previews of the play and 124 of the regular performances, the play will be adapted into a movie for Netflix, starring John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson.
Denzel Washington’s son Malcolm Washington, who has previously collaborated with Spike Lee, will helm the movie version of “The Piano Lesson.” Washington is penning the screenplay adaptation himself, along with Oscar nominee Virgil Williams. Todd Black and Denzel Washington are producing the movie.
Following Wilson’s dramatic stage play about African Americans confronting their terrible history, the movie “The Piano Lesson” adaptation for screen follows LaTanya Richardson Jackson as she directs her husband, Samuel L. Jackson, alongside John David Washington and Danielle Brooks on Broadway.
The movie will follow another play adaptation by August Wilson on Netflix, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which featured Viola Davis, who previously co-starred with John David Washington’s dad, Denzel Washington, in the film version of Wilson’s drama “Fences.” Wilson’s impact as a writer was examined in the Netflix documentary from 2020, “Giving Voice,” which also featured Viola Davis and Denzel Washington.
Corey Hawkins, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, and Danielle Deadwyler are among the ensemble cast of the film adaptation.
As the dust settles on the Great Depression in Pittsburgh in 1936, “The Piano Lesson” tells the story of the family Charles at the home of Doaker Charles and their cherished heirloom. This precious antique, a piano, is adorned with designs that were carved into it by an ancestor who was a slave. The piano was honed smoothly with the shed tears and the blood of their deceased mother.
Executive producing the Netflix film adaptation of “The Piano Lesson” are Denzel Washington’s daughter Katia, Jennifer Roth, and Constanza Romero.
The Netflix version of Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” received five nominations for the Oscars and two awards, including best costume design and best makeup and hairstyling. “The Piano Lesson” is also included in Wilson’s ten-play “American Century Cycle“.
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